“I’m ready, man. In my head, this is my world title shot. This is what I’ve been waiting for and what I have been thinking about, so it’s good. This is my opportunity and I can’t wait to make the best of it... I want to prove myself to where not only I know I belong in the ring with these guys, but the fans and the boxing world will know I belong in the ring with these guys as well. My time is coming and February 17th is the start to me letting the world know who I am,” stated welterweight contender Ray Robinson, who talked about his upcoming clash with Yordenis Ugas. Check it out!
PC: February 17th you are going against Yordenis Ugas. You have been waiting on an opportunity like this. How is everything going?
RR: Good man. I’m in training camp right now. I’m ready, man. In my head, this is my world title shot. This is what I’ve been waiting for and what I have been thinking about, so it’s good. This is my opportunity and I can’t wait to make the best of it.
PC: You were originally supposed to fight Ugas in Texas on the Alexander-Ortiz card and now it’s moved to Vegas on the Garcia-Rios show. Does that change anything for you?
RR: I mean, I’ll fight in your grandma's backyard. It doesn’t matter where I fight at. It didn’t change anything. In camp, you already got enough things on your mind and the last thing you need is certain things irritating you and little things bothering you. I got thick skin. I try not to let anything interrupt my training process or my thinking process. I can fight this week; I can fight in a month or two months. I know it’s going down eventually and that’s how I been training.
PC: You just celebrated a birthday and you are a guy that feels time is ticking for you. You understand that this is a situation and opportunity that you have to fully capitalize on. How do you go about that?
RR: Honestly, man, I am getting older, but the thing is I would take the older me over the younger me any day of the week. I feel like I’m a much smarter fighter and I can do things different. I look at things through a different pair of glasses now that I’m older. You get smarter, you train differently, and things like that. I love the older me. I know after this fight, it’s all gas and no brakes. That’s how I’ve been training, man. I’m excited for this fight. I’m not looking past this fight. He’s the only guy that I’m thinking of, he’s the only guy that I have been training for, and I’m not looking past him.
PC: When you look at Ugas, he’s been in tough. When you look at his 3 losses, the record of his opponents is a combined 33-0-1. What do you think of him as an opponent?
RR: We both match up great on paper. We match of perfectly on paper. It won’t only be good for us, it will be good for the sport, you know. You put us both on paper and this is a great fight. If you go back and look at my 2 losses, those guys were 23-0. So I haven’t lost to any hot dog opponents either. Shawn Porter and Brad Solomon are top athletes and I hung in there with them guys. I think he’s a decent fighter; that’s why he’s at where he’s at right now and this is the reason why he got his opportunity and I feel it’s the same thing with me. That is the reason why I got this opportunity and we both gotta settle it on February 17th.
PC: So much is made of the Cuban style or the Cuban pedigree. When you watch Ugas, do you see that or do you think he’s a little bit different than what is looked at as the norm from Cuban fighters?
RR: I have a really decent background as far as my amateur career, so I have seen all different styles. I see that he had a really good amateur career too, so I’m sure he can change his style whenever he wants, just like I can, so I just gotta make sure when this dude change his style, whether it’s the Cuban style or any other style, I gotta make sure I match it and my style is better than his that night.
PC: You will be coming off of a nearly 8-month layoff. Any concerns there as far as rust goes?
RR: Just sparring and making sure I get the rounds in. I got the best stablemates around. I have good guys in my corner. I have these guys making sure I’m staying sharp and making sure we’re getting the right sparring. That’s all it is; I gotta shake it off by getting in the ring.
PC: Like you said earlier, on paper, this fight looks evenly matched, but something will have to separate you guys on fight night. What are you looking to showcase on fight night and what do you feel will separate you to get the outcome you’re looking for?
RR: I can sit here and blurt out a bunch of things, but everything has to go off of action. I’ll just react to things. I just think me being smart; me countering whatever he throws at me. When I say countering, I mean, if he has good footwork, my footwork has to be better. He has good hand speed, my hand speed has to be better. If he has good power, my power has to be better. So whatever he brings to the table, I gotta bring a little bit more. I have to make sure I listen to my corner and get the job done.
PC: Not looking ahead, but to a degree, you always have to oversee the landscape. PBC and Showtime just rolled out their schedule and as a welterweight, you had to be excited with what you saw on that stage because there were a lot of potential opponents up there for you.
RR: Ah man, honestly, I think that was awesome, man. It’s the reason why I get out of bed in the morning to go running is because of them guys. I want to get on stage with these guys. I know I belong in the ring with these guys. I want to prove myself to where not only I know I belong in the ring with these guys, but the fans and the boxing world will know I belong in the ring with these guys as well. My time is coming and February 17th is the start to me letting the world know who I am.
PC: You have been working with UFC star lightweight Eddie Alvarez. You actually cornered him in his “Fight of the Year” candidate fight against Justin Gaethje. What is your relationship like with Eddie?
RR: Eddie is like my best friend. He is my best friend. I can call him anytime; if I need that type of work, I can call him. Me and him got a close kind of relationship. It was cool for me to be there. I have always been in Eddie’s training camp; it’s my first time being in the actual corner. I always help Eddie with boxing and things like that and he helps me out with just life. We have a good brotherhood. He gives me advice on certain things, I give him advice on certain things. We just call each other up. You wanna align yourself with the best. I don’t care what sport they’re in. You want to align yourself with someone who is smart and someone who is a go-getter. He had goals, just like me. He started exactly where I was at. He grew up rough and all that, being someone that is actually my friend and I’ve seen the struggle, so for him to accomplish what he has accomplished is amazing. So you want to make sure that you continue to surround yourself with positive energy who don’t only want the best for you, but want the best for themselves as well.
PC: I look forward to your fight against Ugas. Best of luck to you and we’ll definitely chat afterwards. Is there anything else you would like to add?
RR: Thanks for the support. If you have not saw the new documentary by Fresh Focus Sports about me, if you want to learn about my life and my struggle and just overcoming things and never giving up, please go to YouTube and check out “The New Ray Robinson” documentary by Fresh Focus Sports. It’s about 26-27 minute long. You will look at me in a whole different way when you see it, so please go check it out when you have time.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]