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One of the great qualities of a person is the ability to bounce back from hard times. When it comes to fighters in particular, resiliency in and outside of the ropes can pay major dividends and I find current WBA Welterweight Champion Luis Collazo to be a perfect example.
In April of 2002 Collazo suffered the lone setback of his career on ShoBox: The Next Generation courtesy of some sharp right hands from Edwin Cassiani. Luis would go down in the 3rd and referee Jay Nady called a halt to the bout moments later, perhaps under unfair circumstances. Collazo was shaken, but it looked as though he could have continued. Despite the bad taste of the referee’s stoppage, the damage had been done and Collazo saw his undefeated record go out the window.
It was a defeat that would have deterred other young fighters but Collazo bit down, moved on, and went back to work. Now, over three years later, the young man is a champion after a hard fought split decision win over Jose Antonio Rivera last April and looking at the big picture. On August 13th Collazo will be putting his WBA belt on the line against former champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez underneath the Hasim Rahman-Monte Barrett showdown, and the Brooklyn native is more than ready for the Pay Per View opportunity.
Collazo stopped by BraggingRightsCorner to talk about being a champion, his love for his fans and family, and life in general. This is what we discussed…
Taking on Miguel Angel Gonzalez August 13th…
‘I’m just excited and ready to get down. I’ve been training for two months already. Gonzalez is a great fighter. He’s a legend to the sport and it’s a great opportunity for me to display my talent. I believe I’ve heard that if he doesn’t win this fight he is going to retire, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I was hungry before I captured the title but now I am starving. I want to keep the title. He might be hungry, but I’m starving and there is a big difference.
Youth…
‘I don’t feel any added pressure from being so young. To me, being only 24 is an advantage because I’m still young, more durable, and always excited to display my talent.
Fighting in Chicago…
‘I did the Puerto Rican parade over in Chicago and the people showed me a lot of love and I can’t wait to perform in front of everybody.
Born, raised, and getting into boxing…
‘I was born in Brooklyn, New York. My childhood saw me in the streets a lot. I was playing around too much and hanging around the wrong crowd until I went to the boxing gym and it changed my life. My dad was the one who took me to the gym and it took me about two weeks before I realized boxing was what I wanted to do. When I first went into the gym I was just running around, playing, and looking at the people working out. I didn’t take it seriously until my trainer told me, ‘Did you come to train, or to play?’ and I took it from there.
Anything is possible…
‘The sport has made me a better person in general towards people, the attitude I have, staying focused, and has helped me just stay determined to do what I want to do in life. Boxing has proved to me that anything is possible. If you set yourself a goal you can accomplish it.
Pure boxing…
‘I’d have to say my best quality is my overall boxing ability. I have my movement, my legs, my hand speed, and my reflexes. I’m just a pure boxer.
Southpaw style…
‘I think being a southpaw gives me an edge. A lot of righties don’t like fighting southpaws because we give them a lot of problems, especially when you know how to box and move. When I fight another southpaw it is different, depending on whether or not I’m fighting a banger or another slick boxer like myself. But it isn’t a problem, it just makes me perform better.
Idols coming up…
‘I always admired Pernell ‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, Meldrick Taylor, and Oscar de la Hoya. I respected the way they performed in the ring and the way they carried themselves. Pernell Whitaker was a straight technician and he was so smooth and slick. Meldrick Taylor was just so flashy in the ring with his hand speed. Trinidad had the power and the endurance. De la Hoya’s technique was incredible, the way he put everything together.
Learning from Dad…
‘My dad has always been there for me since day one. He taught me to be very respectful towards people. Whatever you give out is what you receive. The way you treat people is the way you will be treated back in return, and that’s what I learned from him.
Silencing the critics…
‘A lot of people didn’t believe in me before so I just had to prove a lot of critics wrong. It motivates me to take it to the next level because I like proving people wrong. I’ve been doing that half of my pro career.
Fighter connection…
‘Right now I keep in touch with a lot of other fighters. The 'Chin Checkers' (Jaidon Cordington and Curtis Stevens) are coming up now. Gary Starks is coming up as well. Paulie Malignaggi I also talk to. There are just a lot of fighters out there who I keep in touch with on a day to day basis.
The Pernell Whitaker-Zab Judah pairing…
‘It’s funny because when Zab was coming out of the '96 Olympics, he was training with him. And now it’s good that they are back together with Pernell in his corner and Pernell is back on the map. I’m happy for Zab and he should have success.
Hopkins-Taylor…
‘That was a close fight and it could have went either way. To me, I think Jermain edged him more in the early rounds and Bernard just started too late. In a rematch I think Bernard has a chance of stopping Taylor if he comes out aggressive and does what he has to do.
Sky’s the limit…
‘My fans are very important to me because without the fan support there would be nothing. It would be like doing it all on your own and you just can’t do it like that. Without the fans you can’t take it anywhere, but if you have them with you, then the sky’s the limit."
Luis Collazo (25-1,11 KO’s) defends his WBA Welterweight belt against Miguel Angel Gonzalez (49-4-1,39 KO’s) Saturday, August 13th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Showtime Pay Per View will televise the proceedings, with the action starting at 9PM/ET.
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Interview by Chris Robinson (August 2, 2005)
