"This is it; this is even better and bigger. It's going to be Mayhem and Beyhem. It's huge and I'm honored to be a part of something that's not only big in sports, but on TV too pretty much in general...He's gotta be a good fighter because he's held the title for a number of years. I know he is a good fighter and a good boxer, but I'm up for the challenge. I think they got him number one in the rankings, so I'm coming to get it," stated lightweight contender Mickey Bey, who talked about his upcoming clash with IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez on the upcoming September 13 undercard of Mayweather vs. Maidana 2. Check out what else he had to say!
PC: There was a lot of speculation as to when you were gonna be fighting. You gotta be relieved you finally have a date in place.
MB: Oh yeah, without a doubt. You always wanna know that date. It's a big relief.
PC: August 30th to September 13th is only a couple of weeks difference, but to a fighter peaking, that's a big deal.
MB: It's a big difference. You wanna know the exact date, especially if you have already been training for awhile. You don't want to over-work and stuff like that, so it's always important to know the exact date.
PC: Do you not mind going from headlining on Showtime on August 30th to a few fights down on the undercard of the biggest show of the year?
MB: Ah, hell nah. This is it; this is even better and bigger. It's going to be Mayhem and Beyhem. It's huge and I'm honored to be a part of something that's not only big in sports, but on TV too pretty much in general.
PC: Is it a matter of picking up the tempo or slowing down now that you know when you are fighting?
MB: We have been getting it in, but I'll eventually have to pick the tempo up. But you have to step off the gas sometimes because you don't want to overdue it in the gym. I learned a lot from Floyd and how he do his stuff, so I have a huge advantage because not only do I get to see Floyd on a daily basis and how he works, but also having Floyd Sr. as a trainer is a huge advantage. I ain't from the outside looking in. Floyd Sr. was my first trainer as a pro and I'm still with him. I been around the Mayweather family since before I turned pro, so it's been an advantage for me for a long time. I ain't one of the bandwagon fans; they family and I've been learning a lot from them and it's gonna show on September 13th.
PC: I'm sure it helped that your opponent didn't change with the date.
MB: Yeah, that's the thing too; same opponent. No opponent switch too, so that's cool to still know I will get that world title.
PC: You have a lot riding here; not only the biggest stage of your career, but also your first world title fight. How do you not let your emotions get the best of you and stick to the game plan?
MB: Oh easy, because I'm a beast, man. It could be anywhere in the world; it's a ring, I do what I do. For me to persevere from what I've been through, it's gotta show something for me to even get back to this stage. He got the same things to worry about. He's been a champion, but he's on this stage because of me. He's on the Mayweather card because of me. He's never been on the big stage, but the better man gon win and that's me. He's a good fighter, but it's my time. Anybody can get caught up though and play to the crowd, no matter how experienced you are, but I'm definitely gonna do what I do and get the victory.
PC: What does all of this mean to you? Can you put it into words?
MB: Man, to be honest, I'm glad that FightHype gonna be there for the post-fight reaction because it's really unexplainable. Y'all gonna be right here to document it because I could barely put it into words. Everybody can tune in to FightHype to see for themselves on camera because I can't even explain it. I'm so focused. My mind is on the task, so I can't wait to sit back and watch the videos myself, to be honest, with you of how it's gonna be.
PC: Getting into the actual fight itself, how much do you know about Miguel Vazquez?
MB: He's gotta be a good fighter because he's held the title for a number of years. I know he is a good fighter and a good boxer, but I'm up for the challenge. I think they got him number one in the rankings, so I'm coming to get it.
PC: You're trying to become the second member of The Money Team to capture a world title. What would that mean to you?
MB: It's gonna mean a lot when I win this title. It's a story of perseverance. I've been through a lot in my life, in and out of the ring, but I always overcome it because I got a good heart and a good spirit. I've always stuck to my craft and I never fell off. I continuously got better just by staying disciplined mentally, physically, and spiritually. My story is crazy. There is a lot of stuff leading up to this and after this, people gonna learn about me and I'm sure it's gonna motivate a lot of people around the world.
PC: Do you feel like there is nothing Vazquez can bring to the table that you haven't seen?
MB: Oh, he definitely can't. Critics from the outside might think he can, but there is nothing he can bring. I have boxed all kinds of styles, I had over 200 amateur fights, and I'm in Las Vegas, the Boxing Capitol, so we have people walk in our gym every day with different styles. Of course he got way more to look out for than me. He may have had the belt for awhile, but just like he won the title, I'm gonna win the title when we fight. He's a good fighter and he's probably gonna win more titles after we fight, but on September 13th, he's gonna come up way short.
PC: When you first signed with Mayweather Promotions, you talked about big things happening. I think every fight you have had under the banner has been televised and now you're fighting for your first world title on pay-per-view. Doesn't get any bigger than that.
MB: Ah man, it's amazing. I wanna thank Floyd for always being down with me and being real since I was a teenager, before he was "Money" Mayweather; way before. He's been down with me. We been cool since I was living in Cleveland back in the hood. He was always checking up on me and stuff like that when I was in high school. People couldn't believe when my phone would ring and it'll be him on the line. People couldn't believe that it was him. But I definitely wanna thank him. He's a good dude and a real dude. He's a man of his word and a real great guy. I'm just blessed to be able to put myself in a position to hopefully do the same thing that he do for me for my family, friends, and other hard working people.
PC: I wish you the best in September and we will be speaking afterwards. Is there anything else you wanna say before I let you go?
MB: I want to thank my team for putting everything together and thank all of the fans and everybody that's been supporting me. I want everybody to make sure they tune in on September 13th on pay-per-view. It's going to be a great show!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]