"I know I could do way better than what I did. Like I tell everybody, the more I fight, the better I will look and I really think I'm getting better...I really wanted to impress Bernard and my team. I wanted to show them that I ain't no chump and I don't care who I fight. I don't turn nothing down. I really wanted to show everybody that I can be a star out here. I can be a problem out here and I think I am a problem," stated featherweight contender Eric Hunter, who talked about his latest victory, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!
PC: Big win in your hometown and your first headlined Golden Boy show. How do you feel?
EH: I feel good, man. Everything is coming together.
PC: I'm sure it felt good to headline an event in your backyard like that.
EH: Ah man, it was an honor. It was real, real big. I didn't know it was that big until I got in the ring and had everybody looking at me. I think if I would've took my time with my punches, I would've got the knockout. I was rushing it. But I said, "Let me take my time and the knockout gonna come because I got the punching power to get him out of there." Bernard was rushing me like, "Get the knockout. He about to go Outlaw," so I'm rushing trying to get the knockout and impress the fans. It was a good card though. I stayed focused and I think I looked good. I know I could do way better than what I did. Like I tell everybody, the more I fight, the better I will look and I really think I'm getting better.
PC: Did you put pressure on yourself to perform a certain way given all of the variables of being home, wanting to impress your promoters, and fans watching on TV?
EH: I put a ton of pressure on myself because I knew this fight could change my kids' life. I know it could change my life and everybody that's around me. I really wanted to impress Bernard and my team. I wanted to show them that I ain't no chump and I don't care who I fight. I don't turn nothing down. I really wanted to show everybody that I can be a star out here. I can be a problem out here and I think I am a problem.
PC: You started the fight southpaw and eventually switched to orthodox where you had great success. What made you start out in a left-handed stance?
EH: I really did that just to confuse him. I ain't a southpaw fighter; I can just do it. But I wanted to mess up his mindframe. I know that he likes to come, so I thought by coming out southpaw, it would have slowed him down a little bit and made him think in there. I really wanted to slow him down a bit, that's all.
PC: Either stance, you were hitting him with some good left hooks. Was that an opening you noticed during the course of the fight or did you see something pre-fight that let you know that punch would be available?
EH: I just knew my left hook would get there quicker than the right hand would.
PC: Alvarado was a tough dude. Did you expect him to be that tough or did you think after tasting your power he would go away?
EH: I knew that he was tough, but I didn't know he was that tough. His head was like a rock. I was hitting that bol with some vicious shit, man. I was like, "Damn, this motherfucker really won't go out!" I was hitting him with some hard, vicious shit, man. I rocked him about 4 or 5 times and that motherfucker wouldn't go out. I put the pressure on him and walked him down. He got so scared of me, he was like, "Fuck it, I'm gonna survive." And I tell people this all the time, knockouts don't show your skills. That only shows that you can knock people out. What shows your skills is going through a fight and dealing with adversity. That's why Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins are two of the best to lace 'em up in the last 20 years. They don't get the knockouts, but they definitely whoop some ass for 12 rounds.
PC: I thought you showed great maturity in getting headbutted and dealing with the cut without losing your temper. That's been a problem in the past and you dealt with it well.
EH: Yeah! It's knowing not to go crazy when you think they should help you. I just stayed focus. Where I am right now, that's me coming into my own as a person. I'm just happy with myself right now, that's all.
PC: "Scooter" Fulton told me you are his mentor. Looking back to where you were a few years ago, and to now have one of the top prospects call you a mentor, how does that make you feel?
EH: It means a lot because all I do is try to give him the best game that I can give him and tell him all the stuff I did wrong when I was his age. I try to make it right for him so he don't have to go through what I had to go through. Inshallah, I hope he never has to go through what I had to go through. He got a good advisor in Al Haymon and I think he's going to do some big things. The fact that he looks up to me out of everybody means a lot because all I try to do is give him the best game that I could give him. I know he watch a lot of things I do in the gym and I show him a lot of things. We all in this together, man, and at the end of the day, that's my little brother. I would love for him to take everything that I show him to heart and be successful, which I think he is going to be successful.
PC: How long do you take off from the gym and when would you like to be back in the ring?
EH: I want to be back in March. I fought Tuesday and I was in the gym Wednesday!
PC: Definitely. Man, great performance. I look forward to the next one. Is there anything eels you want to add?
EH: I hope you enjoyed it and I hope everybody enjoyed real boxing instead of just a slugfest. I don't like to be in slugfests, but if I had to, I wouldn't mind it. I just hope everybody liked that; I showed that I can box, go rounds, and that I can go through adversity without tripping out. I just want my fans to keep supporting me and showing me the love and I want the haters to keep supporting me by staying mad at me. I gotta give a shout out to my team again: Malik, Bernard, Oscar for giving me this big opportunity to showcase my talent, Robert Diaz, Eric Gomez, my big homie and my friend 50 Cent coming out and supporting me, Scooter, Humza, my uncle Snow and my Uncle Apple, my whole gym, Baby Dame, Big Todd, my big brother Man-Man, because without him...he made sure I woke up and went running. He went 2-3 in the morning running with me and was on the grind with me. I love my big brother for that, my kids, Kadeem, Asiyah, Nariah and Nameer and my baby moms for rocking out with me. And I appreciate you for keep supporting me and doing these interviews. I salute that and I thank you for that. If I'm missing anybody, I'm sorry. I gotta add Josh and everybody that support Eric Hunter and "Team Outlaw". If you support me, I fight for you. Whatever you need from me, I'll do. I'm not a bad person. I just want everybody to keep supporting me and I promise I'll get a world champion by the end of the year.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]