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“Punchin’ at the Paradise” which is promoted by Joe DeDuardia’s Star Boxing will continue its eighth installment on Thursday, January 31st at the Utopia Paradise Theatre in the Bronx, NY.
The card will host a rare triple co-feature; former world champion Lou Del Valle 35-5-1 (22) against Newton Kidd 6-6-1 (4), Elvir Muriqi 34-4 (21) will return to the ring to battle Willis Lockett 10-5-4 (4) and in the last co-feature Alicia Ashley 13-7 (1) will face Brooke Dierdorff 4-1 (3) for the vacant NABF Super-Bantamweight title.
For Muriqi also known as the “The Kosovo Kid” this fight will mark his first appearance in the ring after his lone fight in 2007 against Antonio Tarver, a fight which he feels he won. Saddoboxing had the pleasure to speak with Muriqi in an exclusive interview to discuss his upcoming fight and his thought on his fight with Tarver.
SaddoBoxing: I wanted to talk to you a little bit about your last fight; how did the fight with Tarver come about?
Elvir Muriqi: “Tarver was coming off his loss from Hopkins and they thought I was the right opponent to make him look good. They gave me the opportunity of my lifetime thanks to Tarver and my promoter Joe DeGuardia. They wanted somebody who would make them look good and thought they would get a knockout or something.”
SB: How do you feel that you did in the fight against Tarver?
EM: “I’m sure and I believe in my heart that I won the fight. I was more aggressive and busier. He would just do things in flurries and I was the busier man all night. Most people were at the arena thought I won the fight, if you fight a superstar and you get a close fight it means you really won the fight. I showed the world I belong in there with the best. When I fight the top guys I will definitely perform at my best level. When I fight good fighters I fight better, I knew when I stepped up to the plate to fight Antonio I knew I was going to give him a really good fight and I thought I pulled it out. When you fight a superstar and you get a close fight like that sometimes you have to really knock him down or knock him out to win the fight.”
SB: Personally I scored the fight a draw, I thought it was a very close fight. If you had to do it again is there anything you think you would have done differently?
EM: “If I had to do it all over again, I think my straight right hand would be a little more on point. My combinations would be a little more crispy and use my jab a little more. That fight gave me a lot of confidence and my confidence is now higher than ever.”
SB: That fight was the first time that you had gone twelve rounds, the most you had fought up to that point was eight rounds, was the twelve rounds a big difference for you?
EM: “Not really, after almost ten years as a pro I learned that if you train right and you rest right and have the proper sparring, rounds don’t really mean anything. I think I’m a better ten or twelve round fighter than a six or eight round fighter. I just had my mind set that I was going to win the fight, I wasn’t even thinking about twelve rounds, but knew I was ready for it.”
SB: I recall seeing you at the post-fight press conference of the Tarver – Santiago fight and you were calling out Tarver for a rematch but from what Gary Shaw was saying it didn’t look like it was something that they were going to give you anytime soon, what is your feeling on that?
EM: “Now that they know what I’m all about they don’t want to take any risks. Roy (Jones) didn’t have to give Tarver a rematch after their first fight but he did. I was hoping Tarver would be man enough to give me another shot. He shouldn’t be fighting Super Middleweights like trying to get a fight with Jeff Lacy, fight a guy that gave you a really tough fight.”
SB: What was the reason you only had one fight in 2007?
EM: “I was supposed to fight Tarver on February 24 then they pushed it to April 22 and then it got moved again to June 9. After the Tarver fight I wanted big fights, I wanted top guys but nobody would step to the plate and give me a shot. After the Tarver fight it was good and bad, on one side the network and the boxing world saw I’m for real and the other side fighters ask themselves why take a risk with this tough guy.”
SB: It had to be a frustrating year for you.
EM: “Absolutely. I’m fighting on Thursday, I have to keep my concentration up and try to motivate myself and stay busy. I would rather fight bigger fights but nobody is giving me a shot.”
SB: Is that your plan for this year to stay as busy as you can?
EM: “My plan is to be the number one contender; if they are not giving me any shots then I have got to become the number one contender so they can’t deny me. All these guys need to stop looking at Middleweights and Super Middleweights and pick on someone their own size, and they should pick me. They need to stop trying to cash out. If people think I’m just looking for a payday I would be happy to sign a contract, winner takes all.”
SB: How did you get your start in boxing?
EM: “My dad boxed in the amateurs and I used to fight a lot in the street (laughing). My dad was kind of like the king of street fighting in my country and I looked up to the respect he got. People would talk about my dad in restaurants or clubs and I thought, wow, I want people to recognize me someday.”
“I started karate when I was about six years old for a couple years and started boxing about the age of nine. I stuck with the kickboxing until I was seventeen and was an amateur champion in my country. When I came here I had another eighteen fights as an amateur kick boxer.”
“I remember seeing Andrew Golota fight Riddick Bowe in their first fight and I was really inspired by that so I wanted to find a gym to start boxing again. I started at Morris Park Boxing and that’s how my career started.”
SB: With the interest in mixed martial arts do you ever have the desire to go back to your kick boxing?
EM: “I just want to be a world champion and want to finish what I started. I love boxing better than anything else, not that I would never do mixed martial arts but to me boxing is the best sport. There is nothing better than a boxing fight it’s an art with two fighters. I think boxing is better than any other contact sport in the world.”
SB: Do you know much about your upcoming opponent?
EM: “I saw a couple of his fights. He’s coming back down to Light Heavyweight from the Heavyweight division. He’s a tough guy, durable and comes to fight, never comes to lay down. He’s only been stopped once in nineteen fights. I know I’m going to go rounds with this guy and I’m expecting a tough fight.”
SB: What do you hope to achieve in this fight other than a victory?
EM: “Of course to look spectacular. Sometimes a win doesn’t matter as much as they way you win. I know a lot of people are going to come watch me and how I perform and I want to have fun and look impressive.”
SB: Do you care to offer any predictions for the fight?
EM: “Just to win, no predictions. I’m a better fighter than him but sometimes durable guys give you a tough fight which is what I’m expecting.”
SB: Is there anything you would like to say to your supporters and fans?
EM: “I would just like to thank you for taking the time to talk to me, and I thank my supporters all over the world for just sticking by me. I want them to know that one day not too far from now I will be a world champion and I will make you guys proud of me. I want to thank Star Boxing and Joe DeGuardia for doing a great job.”
SB: On behalf of Saddoboxing, I wish you the best of luck and look forward to your fight on Thursday.
EM: “Thank you very much.”
