Amir Khan and Luis Collazo each took part in a media call this week to discuss their May 3rd clash as part of the Mayweather vs. Maidana pay-per-view. Take a look to see what each man had to say about the fight, the other man, and the opportunity.
Luis Collazo
I’m excited, you know, I’m stoked. This is a fight that could take me to another level in the welterweight division, and I’m just very humbled by the opportunity. And May 3 is going to be a great night of boxing.
R. Schaefer
Thanks, Luis. Then, he is going to be fighting one of the most popular fighters in the sport, a big star in the United Kingdom who has gained a huge fan base here in the United States, as well. Why? Because he is very committed to the sport, he’s always exciting. I’ve never seen Amir Khan in a bad fight.
I mean, the guy’s got balls, you know? And in the ring and outside of the ring, taking on somebody like Luis Collazo, moving up in weight, not just taking some sort of a tune up, but he wants to go in the welterweight division with a bang. And he and his team, they picked somebody who is clearly bigger, is more experienced, and Amir Khan is going to want to make a statement on May the 3.
He is the former Unified Super Lightweight World Champion, blistering speed, has entertained us over the years, has solidified his claim as being one of the best fighters in the world by unifying a couple of years ago with 140-pound titles with the fifth round knockout over former world champion Zab Judah. He had a dramatic win, 12 round, unanimous decision win over Marcos Maidana; a fight which was voted as Boxing Writer’s Association of America 2010 Fight of the Year.
So, he is coming back in a big fight, on the biggest stage, and I’m very happy for Amir to be able to perform from Las Vegas and show the world what he is all about. It is a pleasure now for me to introduce to you Amir “King” Khan.
Amir Khan
Yeah, it’s going to be wonderful to be on the huge card, you know, the Floyd Mayweather card, and it’s going to be a big show for us. I’m looking forward to the big fight against Luis Collazo. You know, it’s my first fight at 147. I’m excited, I really believe that I belong in the welterweight division; it’s going to be my division for my future career.
We’ve been training hard, working hard. It’s a pleasure to be here, I’m in America and I’ve been enjoying every minute of training, and I’m looking forward to the fight. I really believe, you know, this fight between me and Luis Collazo, who I believe is a very dangerous opponent, he’s a tough, he’d be there with the best, and fought the biggest names. I really believe he can steal the show, and that’s all we want to do. Whenever I fight I want to give it 100 percent. I want to give the fans what they want to watch, and I really believe that this fight could be the one that could steal the show on the night.
R. Schaefer
Great. Thank you, thank you, Amir. We are going to open it up now to the media members to ask questions of any of the participants on the call.
Q
Amir, could you talk a little bit about the things that Virgil Hunter, specifically, has done to make you a better fighter?
A. Khan
Yeah, we’re working on a lot, being more patient and picking the right shots at the right time. I’ve always been an exciting fighter, and I think that’s always going to be there, you know, it’s in my blood. But we’re just working on new things, you know, making sure that-we got back to this year for the stance, we don’t have the defense low, we have a high defense. We’ve had great sparring partners helping us, you know, in the past few months, just to kind of keep me sharp.
Overall we work on everything, really. We’re working on the mistakes I used to make, I used to take silly shots, I used to jump onto a lot of the shots, which I believe are probably twice as hard as when you do get hit, when you jump into a shot. So, we’ve been working on just being patient, being smart, using the feet and the hands at the right time, using the defense and the offense at the right time, and he’s changing me up. You know, he’s making me understand the sport of boxing.
Q
Are you finally past the fact that Floyd did not agree to fight you? I know that you were very upset at the time.
A. Khan
It is upsetting. Yeah, I was upset, but look, I’ve got someone else in front of me now, Luis Collazo, who is going to be giving 100percent in there. So, all of my focus is on that fight now. Whatever happened in the past I just let it go, and, you know, I’m just focusing on this next fight now.
Q
Stephen, does Floyd plan to be at the Final Four to promote the fight, like he did last year?
S. Espinoza
I haven’t, I haven’t spoken to him about that. That was sort of a spur of the moment decision. So, as usual you can’t really predict what Floyd will do, he sort of may decide the night before that he’s jumping on a jet and going to the game. We, we do have to plan when he gets an idea like that, and we scramble and, and cover for it. So we’re prepared for the eventuality. You know, but regardless if he attends the, the finals or not, CBS will be fully supporting this through a, through a range of different promotional vehicles.
Q
Amir, so you’re a really big guy, even though this is your first time at 147. Can you talk about the benefits of not having to lose weight, and to be able to train at a higher weight before this fight, in terms of the energy you expect to have on fight night?
A. Khan
I mean, it’s not like, you know, a couple of years ago when I did kind of make my mind up to go up a weight. I used to have trouble making the 14-pound division. It was after the Judah fight, and it was never easy to make 140, you know, I was big, I’ve got a big body frame and I’m a tall fighter. So, it was always hard to get the 140 division, but, you know what, I still made it. I mean, even if I have to make 140 now, I’ll still kill myself and make the weight.
But it’s not the right way of doing it. You know, this is a tough sport when you go in the ring with the likes of these tough guys like Collazo, and the fighters that you’re going to be facing, you have to be 100 percent ready. So I really believe I’ll be a better fighter at 147, I’ll be stronger, and I’ll keep a lot of my energy and strength and power in the shots. I see a huge in difference in my fighting style and also when I spar. I mean, even though we wear head guards and, you know we wear bigger gloves, when we spar, I feel so much stronger. I spar with guys who are a lot heavier than me, and this is at my natural weight, and I do really well.
So when you cut down and you kill yourself and make your weight, and you cut down to about 140 pound division, it used to kind of make me really weak, I couldn’t hold energy, the power wasn’t there, and I used to walk into the fight literally, very weak. You can always tell how your body is, how is, how your body’s feeling.
I’m a big 140-pound fighter. I was, even at 147 pounds, I’m not going to be a small 147 fighter. So, I think this weight is going to be perfect for me. I’m going to be exactly where I need to be, I’m going to be nice and strong, and, you know, I’m going to be nice and fresh. You’ll definitely see a different Amir Khan coming into this fight because I’ve had a lot of time to work on things, and work on new strategies, and also work with my trainers, Virgil Hunter and also my strength conditioner, Tony Brady. So, I know I’m going to be ready in this division, and I can’t wait to step in the ring.
Q
Style-wise, who compares most favorably to Collazo? I know you fought two southpaws back-to-back in McCloskey and Judah. Would they rank as being favorable, in terms of his style and his ability to, to box?
A. Khan
No, Collazo’s a one-of-a-kind fighter. You know, he has his own style, I respect the way he fights and he always causes big problems to his opponents, and he does really well in the ring. I’m not going to compare him to any opponent I’ve faced before. I’ve not faced a Collazo before, so I need to work on a new strategy and to work on a new game plan, and my trainer Virgil is helping me to overcome that.
Q
Do you expect to box more, and be more patient in this fight, given that you’re facing a bigger guy?
A. Khan
We’re going to see how the fight turns out, really, and we’re going to see what goes down while we’re in the ring. I think everybody in the world knows we can box and we can fight. So, we’ll just see how it all goes.
Q
Luis, who would you compare Khan to on your record?
L. Collazo
He’s got great speed; but I think he might be a little bit slower than Andre Berto was. And that was a big fight for me. Come fight night we’ll definitely see if his speed is going to be a factor or not.
Q
My last question for you, he talked about-and I talked to Virgil about this, about him jumping into shots and being available for some of those shots like the one that Danny Garcia caught him with, and obviously earlier in his career against Breidis Prescott. Do you see him being able to change that in the last couple fights that you’ve seen? Or do you expect this, and maybe take advantage of that kind of opportunity again?
L. Collazo
Oh man, to be honest, I don’t know. You know, he’s his own fighter, and if he takes me lightly, more power to him. But come fight night I’m just going to try to capitalize on all his mistakes. That’s, my main thing, and I’m just working my butt off. I’m working hard to give all fans what they want, a great and exciting show.
Q
Can you just explain that a little more, about how your mindset has changed over the period where you felt you were going to be fighting Floyd Mayweather, and you didn’t in the end, and what you’ve gone through, and how it’s hardened you?
A. Khan
Okay, it has been tough, mentally. Then just-we kind of turned that around, and we worked it towards our advantage by working in the gym, spending time with Virgil and Tony and coming to America early, having mini camps in between. Because in the last 12 months I’ve gotten more fit. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the gym, I’ve been sparring, I’ve been hitting the mitts. I’ve been working on different techniques and stuff, and I think sometimes it’s good, it really worked for me, not having an opponent in the back of my mind who I’m going to be fighting. At least that way, then, I’m not focusing on that one style; I can box in different styles and different ways of improving my style.
So, I didn’t have that pressure. But, overall there was a disappointment but like I said earlier, that was a mental thing, I got over that. You know, I’m a mentally strong fighter, I’ve proven that numerous times, I will come back from a defeat, which not many fighters would come back from.
Physically I think I’m a better fighter, and like I said, moving up to the next weight category is only going to make me a better fighter. We don’t want to go into and take easy fights, I mean we want to fight the best out there, and it shows that Luis Collazo is one of the best out there by knocking out Victor Ortiz in his last fight, and proving himself. I think he’s earned his, he’s earned a big fight, and so that’s the reason that we want to fight, him, because we really believe that he is one of the dangerous guys at 147, and that’s a fight that I need, and to get me up there, and get me back in the ring again.
Q
When you go in against Luis Collazo, is it not just the victory that’s important, but the manner of the way you fight, your performance that you put on, on the night?
A. Khan
Yeah, I mean it’s all about performing in a good fashion, really, putting a great fight on, and you know putting a great performance on and a great fight for the fans. You always have good days and bad days in office, and I really believe that you know I needed a nice break after the Diaz fight. I hadn’t had a long break for such a long time.
So, being a young fighter I was always active. I think that break’s done me a world of good, and also killing myself making the 140 pound division, I won’t be doing that anymore. So, I’ll be going into the fight really healthy and very happy.
Q
Luis, you mentioned that you want to capitalize on Amir’s mistakes. Do you believe he’s a vulnerable fighter in defense?
L. Collazo
Sometimes all fighters are. We all make mistakes, so absolutely. We’re not perfect, but that’s why different styles make beautiful fights and I’m just going to try to capitalize to the best of my ability.
Q
Do you take something from that fight against Ricky Hatton? Do you use those other fights in your advantage, when you give everything against Khan?
L. Collazo
Absolutely, I think everybody learns from their mistakes. You just don’t want to make them again. Before I was on my time, now, I’m on God’s time. Like you said, May of 2006 I fought Hatton, and now it’s May 2014 and I’m fighting Khan. It’s amazing.
Q
When Floyd made the decision finally to fight Marcos Maidana were there any back-and-forths with yourselves and Floyd Mayweather, and was it a very difficult decision for him in the end? Did he come very close to choosing Amir rather than Marcos? Can you kind of just spell out the last few days of how it went down?
S. Espinoza
It was a tough decision, and I can see why because you know, from my perspective, and from the Mayweather team’s perspective, both Amir and Maidana have a lot of advantage, a lot of benefits in the matchup. You know, Floyd was-from the network perspective, both would make very interesting fights, very competitive fights from what we believe. From the network perspective, both would be approved.
So, it was ultimately, you know, up to the Mayweather side to choose between the two, and you know he did ruminate on it for, for a while, and it was a tough decision, I’ve heard him say that. But, you know, he obviously went with Maidana, while acknowledging that Amir has a lot to offer, and could be a potential opponent in the near future as well.
Q
My question for you Luis is, when you beat Victor Ortiz, and now you wind up with this fight with Khan on this big card, was this what you had in mind to gain from a victory against Ortiz?
L. Collazo
Absolutely. Khan is a great fighter, he’s been on top of the game quite some time now, and to be able to get this fight, it’s great. This is just getting me closer to where I really want to be, at the top of the welterweight division.
Q
I know you have to fight each other, but do you also view this essentially as your audition to fight Floyd in the fall? Luis?
L. Collazo
Well, for me, to be honest, like I said before, Victor was doing the same thing. Right now my main focus is Amir Khan, my radar is on him, and in the future, tomorrow has its own worries. But today I’m just dealing with today’s worries, today’s reality and with this fight here. This is all I’m focused on.
Q
Of course, you called out Floyd, too, like anybody else would in that weight class. So it’s got to be in the back of your mind a little bit, no?
L. Collazo
Oh, absolutely, but I’m not thinking about it. I don’t go to sleep thinking about, oh, I might get the Floyd fight. Of course not, my main focus is Khan, and May 3is going to be the night.
Q
Do you see this as a chance to put yourself in position to get that fight in the fall that you didn’t get for May?
A. Khan
Well, yeah, first of all, I mean, the whole focus is going to be on Luis Collazo, and I’m not really going to get into all that, the hype about it happening in the future. I mean, if it happens, it happens. I’m just going to be focused on one thing, and what I need to do is keep winning. I know will be in Floyd’s eye, even though it didn’t happen last time, you know, it’s not going to , it’s not going to affect me any, in anyway. I’m just going to be focused for my next fight, really. I know I’m up against a tough guy.
I really believe that this fight can steal the show on the night, because you’ve got two young, hungry fighters, you know, who, who want to prove it, prove themselves.
Q
Do you think that the layoff will hurt you at all? Is there a chance that maybe you’ve been over-trained?
A. Khan
I mean, time will tell. We’re just going to see what happens. I really believe I’ll be in a great state, I’ll be in a great position, and I’ll be perfect. So, I don’t really see any problems, I’m just going to be nice and fit and strong for the fight, you know, we’ll be ready no matter what.
Q
Do you have regrets for not fighting over the last year, for maybe not taking that fight that was on the table against Alexander? Is there a regret, or are you good with the decision?
A. Khan
Look, God does things for a reason, and I really believe that I needed a long break off, and taking that time off sometimes makes you metaphysically and mentally a better fighter. I expect time will tell; we’ll see how much I’ve become a better fighter on the night of the fight. It’s not really affected me. Whatever happens, and whatever happened in the past has happened, and I’m just going to be focusing on the next fight, really, and I’m not going to let anything get in between that.
Q
Luis, do you think you’re going to have a fair shot to win this fight, and they didn’t ask you to take this fight in order to bring up Khan for future fights?
L. Collazo
It’s okay, you know, I’ve been the underdog all my life, all my fights I was the one trying, the next fighter to step up, and I’m more than welcome, you know. He’s coming to the welterweight division, I’m more than happy to welcome him to that weight.
Q
I know that there was some talk about this fight with Khan. Were you surprised that the agreement came relatively quickly for you?
L. Collazo
Well, this is what makes this sport so amazing. Anything can happen, and I’m just humbled by the opportunity and I’m very grateful.
Q
How do you think you will react rust-wise, since it’s been so long since you’ve been in the ring?
A. Khan
We’ve had a lot of the hard sparring, we’ve had a lot of hard work we’ve been doing in the gym behind closed doors. So, yeah, I really believe I’ll be okay. But like I said, time will tell. We know we’re going to be ready, and I’m not going to have no excuses. I could have just stopped, and not do anything, just go take a holidays or just relax, but I didn’t. I was working on becoming a better fighter. So, I think I’m in a better position than I’ve ever been in.
Q
Were you a little surprised by the power that he showed against Victor Ortiz, as Victor is known to have a pretty solid chin.
A. Khan
Yeah, I mean, look, we all know Collazo’s a strong fighter, he’s a big fighter. He hits hard and when he hit Victor with that hook, I mean it was a great hook, and I know he was going to give up. I mean Victor you know, really gets caught with a good shot. He doesn’t really want to sometimes exchange or get involved. He normally just takes a knee and stays down, and that’s what Collazo did. I mean Collazo caught him with a good clean shot, and Victor couldn’t continue.
So, it shows that he’s got power, he’s got speed, he’s got great movement. This is going to be a good fight, it’s going to be a tough fight. We’re going to be up against a tough Collazo, even the fights he’s lost, Collazo’s been very, very close. So, I mean, I’m excited. You know, it’s going to be a tough fight for me but it’s going to be a good fight for us.
Q
It’s been I guess 12 years since you fought last in Las Vegas, and you fought against Edwin Catiani, and the referee at that time was Jay Nady, and he stopped that fight, I think, very quickly. And I was wondering if you have any apprehensions about returning to Las Vegas, and what you would say if they select Jay Nady as the referee?
L. Collazo
I’m excited, to be honest with you. You know, that wasn’t my last fight in Vegas, but I just hope Jay Nady’s not the ref. But I’ll be honest, I learned from that, you’ve got to go in there to take care of business, and you’ve got to be careful with how you’re taking shots. If you know you’re taking shots and the refs think you’re hurt, keep it moving, don’t stay there and keep getting those shots, and just be smart. I learned a lot from my previous fights and I’m just grateful for all the experiences that I, that I have.
Q
Can you just tell us a little bit how a guy from Brooklyn, New York winds up training at Fort Jackson down in South Carolina, and kind of how that all came to be?
L. Collazo
I’ve been coming up here since-wow, maybe 2004? You know, my camp coordinator, Andrew Stokes is up here and he lives here. He’s an ex-military guy, and we’ve got access to the biggest army base in the United States. The running, the atmosphere, it just an amazing place to get ready for a fight.
Q
Do you guys bring in sparring partners? Or who, who are you sparring with?
L. Collazo
Absolutely, we bring in sparring partners everywhere we go, even if it would be back home in Brooklyn. We bring guys out that could be kind of the opponent’s style.
Q
Is this the first time you really have sort of felt you’ve had two fights back to back that can get you back to where you want to be?
L. Collazo
Everything happens for a reason, like I said before. I was, back then, I was on my time, I thought I was on top of the world. But, hey, God said it wasn’t my time, and now I’m on His time. May 2006, I fought Ricky, and now in 2014 I’m fighting Amir Khan.
So, it just shows you the growth, and when you have faith, how your life gets transformed. Last year I was nowhere; I didn’t even know where my career was heading. And look a year later; since I’ve been following Christ, I’m here. I’m just, I feel blessed, and I’m very excited for, for May 3.
Q
Do, do you think you’re a much better fighter than in those days, with the experience you’ve had since?
L. Collazo
Absolutely. I’m growing, I’m still learning in boxing. If you think you know everything, you’re wrong. I actually learned from a little kid you know? I feel like I’m a better fighter and come May 3 I’ll show it.
Q
What are the odds from your opinion when you were being linked with the Mayweather fight to actually be fighting on the undercard of one of these shows?
A. Khan
I never thought I’d be an undercard. It was a bit of a surprise when they said, I’d be on the undercard. I thought it would be a good idea, because for the millions of the people that would be tuned in to watch the fight-as we all know, Floyd does get a huge crowd of people, plus he gets a lot of viewing figures-I think it would be good to showcase my skills. But yeah, it was a bit of a surprise. But like, we’re here now, so I’m going to grab it with both hands.
Q
What have you learned from those fights against top competition, going into this fight with Amir?
L. Collazo
From the Ricky fight I learned that anything could happen. And from the Victor Ortiz fight, I learned don’t leave it to the judges. You know I learned a lot and I’m just very excited and humbled by this opportunity. And come May 3 I’m just going to keep giving the boxing fans what they want, some more excitement.
Q
Do you think you need more than a win on May 3 to get the Mayweather fight?
A. Khan
In the last fight we didn’t do that well and I did have a lot of things that affected that fight, where like the weight making I think was a huge big problem in that fight, but now I’m going to be going into this fight very happy, and I’ll be fighting at my natural weight, which is probably 147 there for me.
But, it’s all about putting a great performance on, putting a great fight on, and giving the crowd what they want. The fans want to see a good fight, the fans want to see an exciting fight, and I think us two, the two styles we have will make this fight very exciting, and very good to watch.
Q
Do you think that since you work with Andre Berto, have you guys collaborated and talked about how to fight Collazo?
A. Khan
I was working with Berto a couple of months back when I came from the U.K., that’s before the fight with Collazo was announced. So we’ve not spoken about anything, we’ve not seen each other since the announcement.
So, I know that Collazo fought him [Berto] and it was a close fight and stuff, but at the end of the day it’s me who’s going to be going in the ring with Collazo, and I don’t think I need to ask anyone what it’s going to be like. I do my own homework and I have my own style.
Q
How does it feel being back on the big stage after all of these years, and can you tell me what that time away was like? And how have you become a better boxer?
L. Collazo
To be honest, not being offered big fights was bringing me down. I was literally depressed. But times change. Last year was a tough one, but 2014 is turning out to be a blessed year. When you leave it in God’s hands, anything is possible. He can resurrect you from the worst position.
I’m a getting a little emotional. But I’m just grateful for this opportunity, and to be able to be back on top of the boxing world, it’s just amazing to me, just humbling to me, and I’m just very grateful for this opportunity.
Q
Do you feel that Amir Khan is overlooking you at all?
L. Collazo
Yes, he is. At least hat’s what I’m hearing. On May 3, I’m going across the ring once that bell rings, you know, and he’s just got to get ready. I know I’m getting ready, and I hope he’s getting ready the same way, because we’ve got to give the boxing fans what they want, some excitement.
