"I didn't lose to Perez because of my performance. I lost because of the judges. I fought that fight at 147, but that's not my natural weight. I take tough fights and this fight with Prescott is at 42, not 47. I know I can beat him. This fight means the world. It puts me back in the top 15 if I win," stated comebacking welterweight Gato Figueroa, who talked about his upcoming August 18th return to the ring to face hard-hitting Breidis Prescott. Check it out!

DK: Gato, how's training going?

GF: Everything is great, Dave. I'm with a new trainer now, "Hollywood Hino" [Ehinomen Ehikhamenor], who was on The Contender finals.

DK: You're back in the ring on Saturday, August 18th, against hard-hitting Columbian Breidis Prescott. What are your thoughts on Prescott as a fighter?

GF: I think he brings the heat. Primarily, he brings heat. He's so determined to bring the heat. (Shouting) SO BRING THE FUCKING HEAT! BRING THE FUCKING HEAT, MOTHERFUCKER!

DK: You returned to the ring back in March after a 2 1/2 year hiatus from the sport. Why did you decide to come back to boxing?

GF: Because, I just...the politics of boxing is horrible. I am my own man. I'm not a slave to anyone. I only serve God. He is the only one that has a binding contract with me, so I had to do what I had to do. So I sat out.

DK: Even though you lost that fight in March, it was to a very tough up-and-comer, undefeated Alex Perez, in a fight you were very competitive in. How do you think you performed that night considering the circumstances of such a long layoff?

GF: I think I did enough to win. He was the prospect on his promoters card, but at the end of the day, I don't understand how two judges had him blowing me out nine out of 10 rounds. Nobody in this world, on this Earth, can beat me in any fight nine out of 10 rounds, or eight out of 10 rounds. It's impossible. The third judge had it correctly, I thought. He had it six out of the 10 rounds. Yes, he did good. Yes, he dropped me. I'm not taking nothing away from him, but I don't know what those judges were seeing.

DK: Why take on someone like Prescott, who has a track record of high success?

GF: I didn't lose to Perez because of my performance. I lost because of the judges. I fought that fight at 147, but that's not my natural weight. I take tough fights and this fight with Prescott is at 42, not 47. I know I can beat him. This fight means the world. It puts me back in the top 15 if I win.

DK: If you had not performed as well as you did against Perez, would you be fighting Prescott?

GF: No, I would not; absolutely not. Performance is what people love and buy tickets for. I'm the peoples champ. I fight to win. I give advice to every boxer: legal advice, counseling, whatever. I love helping people out. If I lost that fight to Perez convincingly, I don't think so, but boxing is a business. I didn't come here to lose to Prescott.

DK: What are you hoping to accomplish with this ring return, Gato?

GF: Build a name. My whole thing is building a brand name. I want people to know who, and what, Gato offers to people. I wanna be the world champ, obviously, but I didn't start boxing til I was 22. Now, I'm gonna use boxing like they used other fighters. Boxing is a business. I need boxing, no doubt about it, but the overall outcome is the brand name, "GatoCantStopWontStop." I sing, dance, act, model, and am an entertainer.

DK: Alright my man. I appreciate the time. Should be some good numbers viewing the fight on the 18th. It's on Telefutura and is the only boxing card being televised in the United States that night. We look forward to seeing you back in there and wish you the best of luck. Any final thoughts for the fans out there?

GF: I wanna say thank you for all the support to fans. I want those who want advice about life, they can follow me on Twitter at @NoOneStopsGato. I'm mostly on Twitter, not Facebook. I'm a lifestyle coach as well. I wanna give back. I love giving back. I get it from my momma I guess. People deserve more than what they're getting. I don't hide my tongue from nobody. I don't care if it's a boss or whoever. I always tell it like it is. I keep it real 100%, and I want that name to be structured. I don't even lie to my wife anymore. It is what it is. She may not like it sometimes, but the truth is better. Our marriage is stronger than it has ever been, so it's working. You can hate all you want, but I'm gonna hate right back. I wanna get a league of millionaires and make some changes in the world. Corporate America is the devil. These motherfuckers have so much money and don't give back to anyone. My goal is to give back.

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