"I understand betting lines, I understand favorites and underdogs, but I also understand Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas. I understand that any given night, any given punch can change everything. I truthfully didn't take Comanche Boy lightly. I brought in excellent sparring to work with Delvin leading up to the match, and I spared no cost to make sure he's got the best preparation...I believe Delvin can beat anybody they put in front of us. I know a lot of other people in the industry disagree, and that's fine, but I am totally confident in Delvin, his preparation and work ethic, and I still believe he is a world champion," stated A.J. Galante, manager of jr. middleweight contender Delvin Rodriguez, who talked about the future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on Delvin's last knockout win over previously undefeated George Tahdooahnippah. What did you think of his performance?
AG: I think it was exactly what the doctor ordered. It's always important to win, but to win decisively is really the key to it all, and of course Delvin being on ESPN was the cherry on top. It was important to stop Comanche Boy, and it wasn't easy. He had a Pawel Wolak-like chin and kept coming. I know people were really getting on Tahdooahnippah after the fight, saying he didn't belong in the same ring with Delvin, but you know what? Every fight is 50-50. I really don't care what anybody says, and he was undefeated and he kept coming. But at the end up the day, we expect wins and dominance, and I think it was great for Delvin's psyche that he got the TKO. It was his first TKO or KO since July of 2008. That's almost 5 years ago, so I definitely think that will do something for his confidence.
PC: It was definitely a nice little layoff he was coming off of, but you stood by the fact that he stayed in the gym the entire time. It definitely showed because he fired off a lot of shots to get him out of there.
AG: Delvin's a professional through and through. He never gets out of shape. That's one thing as a manager I happen to be blessed with is I don't have to constantly stay on Delvin or his trainers because they're always working. The layoff wasn't desired, but it was necessary to accomplish some of the things we had to outside the ring. Now that we have our new contract extension with STAR BOXING out of the way, now it's time to stay active and fight, like I expressed when 2012 was closing.
PC: It appeared the fight was over after the second round, but there was a miscommunication between the doctor and referee. Were you concerned, because Delvin had already started to celebrate? Were you concerned he may have lost focus, because it's tough for a fighter to come back after thinking it was over and start over again?
AG: Again, Delvin is a veteran of the game and he's extremely focused at all times. It was a little confusing after that second round. I actually was walking into the ring as well, but clearly there was some miscommunication and I'm glad the fight didn't end on that note because Tahdooahnippah deserved to have a chance to fight forward. He was taking a pretty good beating the last minute of that round though. But I knew Delvin would be fine. I liked that he didn't try to just unload at the opening of the third round. He was patient and calculating and at the end of the day, he got the job done.
PC: Did you have any concerns going into the fight or did you feel if the going got tough, that Delvin's experience would pull him through, because this kid had some highlight reel knockouts?
AG: I'm a realistic person. I'm not the type of guy that's going to pump himself up and feel that any boxer I work with is going to be perfect every fight, and that either he or I are untouchable. I understand betting lines, I understand favorites and underdogs, but I also understand Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas. I understand that any given night, any given punch can change everything. I truthfully didn't take Comanche Boy lightly. I brought in excellent sparring to work with Delvin leading up to the match, and I spared no cost to make sure he's got the best preparation. So I don't say that I'm ever "concerned" with any fight, but I'm always cautious. At the end of the day, I believe Delvin can beat anybody they put in front of us. I know a lot of other people in the industry disagree, and that's fine, but I am totally confident in Delvin, his preparation and work ethic, and I still believe he is a world champion.
PC: What's the plan for him now? When would you like to get him back in there and can we expect another ESPN date before trying to go to a HBO or Showtime date?
AG: I said at the closing of 2012 I want to have Delvin fight preferably four fights this year. In this day and age, that seems almost laughable, but I'm dead serious. I don't see any reason why it can't be done. We're in March right now and we have one under our belt. Delvin will be pushed this year. I told him that around Christmas time, and he agrees. He wants to be active, he wants to fight the best per usual, and we're not going to sit and wait for somebody else to control our destiny. Preferably right now, we'd like to get back on television and fight a top 10 guy. It's really not up to whether we want the top 10 guys; it's whether the top 10 guys want us! We'll be ready, and I'd like to see Delvin back in May some time. But I will sit down with Joe DeGuardia and go over some options and we'll take it from there.
PC: He just beat a guy that was 31-0, so logically you would want to set him up in a fight that's similar or a step up; not so much record-wise, but quality I'm sure. Are there any names swirling around in your head as a next opponent for him or you guys haven't made it that far in the process being that he just fought?
AG: Anybody Top 10 is what we're looking for. It's not really brain surgery to work with Delvin and I...all we ask is a fair purse and 6-8 week notice and honestly, anybody is an option for us. Delvin and I aren't the type to hold up a fight for a few dollars more. If the purse is fair, it's extremely easy for me to convince Delvin to take a fight because that's just the type of warrior he is. But to answer your question, I mean, guys like Alfredo Angulo, Gabe Rosado, Carlos Molina, those are the type of guys we'd love to fight, because firstly, they are fights fans would love to see, and secondly, they also are warriors and will come to fight. I don't know what James Kirkland's deal is right now, but we'd love that fight as well. Like I said, anybody, but at the same time, there's also a lot of young talent in the division that we'd give opportunities to as well if our first options didn't pan out. That's what boxing needs; top guys fighting top guys, and if that doesn't work out, stay active and fight a young buck that is hungry and is deserving of an opportunity to fight on ESPN, SHObox, etc. We're not above fighting anybody.
PC: You have been at this thing for quite some time now. Do you feel like you are coming into your own as a manager?
AG: It's been a wild ride so far. I've made some mistakes along the way, I'm not perfect, but I'm learning on the go, on the fly. It's a shame that in boxing, not too many people want to help and assist young guys like me in the game, so I have had to learn some things the hard way, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Elite Boxing Enterprises is my management company and I will be around for a while. I want to grow and I will, and when I set out goals, more times than not, I accomplish them, and my goal is to manage a World Champion. I am definitely getting comfortable and confident in what I do right now, and I'm willing to listen and learn more from people with more experience.
PC: Any hard lessons learned from the beginning of your management career to now, or did your past experience in other sports and fields help you out in this game?
AG: I mean, I'm the type of person that is willing to listen, willing to learn, and I want to learn. I've learned some hard lessons in that people in this industry don't want to look out for others in the industry unless there's something in it for them. Again, that's fine with me. I learn on my own. The biggest mistakes I've made so far is no different than anybody starting out in any business; needless spending. But I've always been mentally ahead of my age and I'm smart enough to realize my mistakes, and the key is to not make the same mistakes twice. There's been some rough patches being a professional manager, but I've been through worst things in my life than some troubles in a professional sport (laughing).
PC: Your company, Elite Boxing Enterprise, is picking up a lot of steam. What are your goals for the year, not only for Delvin, but for Elite as well?
AG: Well, I sound like a broken record when it comes to Delvin, but the goal is to stay active, fight the toughest guys available, and get us in line for another title shot soon. As far as my company goes, I definitely am looking to make some moves this year, I want to grow and I have some plans in the works. One of them may be coming to fruition very, very soon. I just want to be successful, learn more each day, and contribute to the industry in any positive way I can.
PC: I know this is a joint effort, so is there anyone you want to thank or shout out before I let you go; anything else you want to say?
AG: My whole team, Elite Boxing Enterprises, Trainer Fernely Feliz, Strength Coach Matt Patren, Delvin Rodriguez, Adrian Hoda, obviously Fighthype.com, and just everybody who supports us. People can follow me on twitter @eliteboxing_ajg
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]