"When it comes to me, he always teaches me to be a defensive fighter because he feels those are the ones that last in boxing and can speak clearly when they are done with boxing. So he is always big on defense with me. So you will see a lot of defense and a lot of movement. My last few fights, I have been trying toÂ…I always knew I had a good jab; my last few fights, I've been trying to show it off a lot more. I never look for the knockout, but its come to me 9 times in my 16 fights," stated up-and-coming welterweight Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, who talked about his August 23 return to the ring and much more. Check it out!
PC: You are fighting at Dover Downs in Delaware on August 23rd. How is everything going?
DHH: It's been all good, you know; just staying busy in the gym and staying busy fighting.
PC: Amir Mansour really packs that venue out at Dover Downs. He will be headlining that show. What it is like for you to be on these cards that are sold out being so young in your career?
DHH: It's good, man, and we get some tickets to the fight as well and the last time I fought in Dover Downs, we had well over 100 people that was there for me, so we are expecting the same thing this time.
PC: You had a 200-fight amateur career and turned pro at the age of 16. What were the pros and cons to turning pro at such an early age?
DHH: The cons were obviously I missed out on the Olympics. I gave up on a chance to do it. I did look forward to a chance to do it because as a young kid, you always wanna be in the Olympics. Amateur boxing is just not the same, so a lot of these guys that went to the Olympic team and fought in my weight class, by the time they turned pro, I was 10 or 11-0 and had a name for myself already in the pro rankings. So the pros are that I definitely got a head start. But when Sugar Ray Leonard won a Gold medal, everybody knew about it, and I can go to a regular person today and they can't name one person on the Olympic team. It's just not the same, so.
PC: You have 5 fights under your belt already this year. Is it key for you to stay busy like this right now?
DHH: Yeah! The longest break I have took since I turned pro was 1 week. Sometimes I take a week off after the fight and maybe take a trip, and then I'm right back because I know that call can come at any time, so I like to stay in shape. The fact that I stay in shape and get to fight is actually a blessing.
PC: Who is your trainer and where do you work out of?
DHH: My father is my trainer, Buddy Harrison. He owns a gym in Fort Washington, Maryland called "Old School Boxing." It's just me and him every day. Everyone always asks if the father and son relationship will work out and everything has been going good. He doesn't have to be in charge of everything. He will let somebody else do my personal training and hold the mitts for me, so everything is good with that.
PC: How long has he been your trainer and what's the glue that keeps you guys on the same track?
DHH: He's been training me since I started, so we went through our trials and tribulations already. We had arguments and we still argue today, but other than that, when it comes down to it, if I want somebody else to wrap my hands before a fight, he's okay with that. He doesn't have to be that guy. If I want someone to hold the mitts for me or work with me on the bag, he is fine with that. He knows he's gonna be in my corner on the night of the fight, and at the end of the day, he will have the final say so of what's going on with my career. But everything goes pretty smooth for now.
PC: Even though you have a lot of fights, you are still a very young fighter. What weight class will you make your mark at? Do you think it will be your current weight class of welterweight?
DHH: I want to stay at welterweight. I keep hearing that I'm going to grow into a middleweight, but I make the weight so easy, I actually think if I had a major fight and a full training camp, I think I can make 140. I think that will let me stay at 147 for a while. Hopefully I can stay at 147 because that's what I want to do. It's the major weight class in boxing today with Floyd, Pacquiao, and Marquez; everybody at 147. I would like to stay here, but if I have to move up, I will be fine because I am 6 feet tall. I got the height to move up and fluctuate a little bit.
PC: Who were some of your boxing idols coming up?
DHH: Growing up, I was a huge Trinidad fan and I'm pretty sure that comes from my Puerto Rican heritage. I loved Trinidad. And when he retired and I got older and started paying attention to boxing a little more, I always liked the younger fighters. Anybody that is young like myself, Chavez Jr. now and Canelo, I feel like I can relate to them a little bit. Any of the young fighters I like because I know how it is.
PC: And stylistically, what do you bring to the table and what can people expect from you?
DHH: It's funny because a lot of people fight the way their trainer fought. My dad, back in the day when he fought, because he fought in the amateurs, he was known as a brawler and a tough guy fighter. When it comes to me, he always teaches me to be a defensive fighter because he feels those are the ones that last in boxing and can speak clearly when they are done with boxing. So he is always big on defense with me. So you will see a lot of defense and a lot of movement. My last few fights, I have been trying toÂ…I always knew I had a good jab; my last few fights, I've been trying to show it off a lot more. I never look for the knockout, but its come to me 9 times in my 16 fights.
PC: We will definitely keep our eyes and ears open for you and we look forward to having you on the site. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
DHH: If anybody want to keep up with me and anything about my fights, I'm big on social networks; Instagram and Twitter is @Dusty30th. My Facebook fan page is Dusty Harrison. If you go to www.dustyharrison.com there is a link to all of my social network pages. Me being young of course, I stay on the social networks all day. I might pull a Paulie Malignaggi one day and tweet from the ring (laughing)!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]