Frankie,
welcome back to our station in Alamosa.
It's great to
be back in The Valley. I have a lot of respect for this
community and I missed all my friends.
Q:
How's
everything coming along for your preparation for your next
fight?
A:
I'm training
all the time for whatever comes up. I was set to fight in Philly
in June, and that fighter got hurt and then on an HBO under card
in July, but the Brazilian I was set to fight was deported back
to his country. My promoter might have a fight for me in
Colorado against a tough Mexican fighter at the end of July so I
have to be ready for anything.
Q:
Can we expect
any surprises when we see you at your next fight?
A:
Well, not
many surprises, just the same me. I can tell you I will have
much more fun now in the ring. I always work the crowd when I
fight, but now I am going to have fun doing it.
Q:
Frankie, you
are 32 years old and still going strong. What keeps you going?
A:
The truth is
God and my family. I box for the love of the sport and the money
helps. I have a great job in education that pays all the bills.
Money is good in boxing and the sport keeps me in shape.
Q:
The biggest
of all those criticisms is that you're too short for your weight
class and you have 12 losses on your record.
A:
I have always
felt that criticism makes me stronger. I have heard so many
times you are too short for your division. I just tell them “Yea
I’m short but I tell good jokes”. They just look at me and
wonder what I am talking about. My record in 13-12-1 with
7ko’s. If you add the current records up of the fighters I have
lost to it is about 179 wins and only 28 losses. Look at who I
fight, only the best.
-
Kermit
Cintron he is now 23-0 21ko’s (World Youth
Champion/Top 10 in the World)
-
Francisco
“Panchito” Bojado 16-1 11ko’s (WBC
Continental American Champion/IBA Continental
Champion/Mexican gold medalist/ Olympian)
-
Joseph Brady
13-1 7ko’s (Former WBC Fecarbox Champion)
-
David Diaz
24-0 13 ko’s (USA Olympian)
-
Chris Smith
18-0 11ko’s (NABA Champion)
-
Steve
Martinez 45-5 27ko’s (Former NABF Champion)
-
Dimitiry
Salita 18-0 11ko’s (2x National Champion)
If I wanted I
could have a record of 30 wins and only a few losses, but I
don’t want to fight at local shows all the time and make little
money building up my record. I want to fight the best, make my
money and get out.
Q:
Ever since
you turned pro we have seen you on TV many times. How do you
keep getting TV fights?
A:
You know I
owe that to my promoter Smitty. He got me my first TV fight on
the Mexican station Telefetura. I fought on world wide TV for a
Championship fight. The fight was twelve rounds and I only had
nine days to train for the fight, really only nine days. I put
on a great show for twelve rounds and the crowd loved it. The
calls for TV just came in after that fight. I fought four times
on Telefutura, one time on Showtime and live on Pay per view for
the NABA Championship. We received a report after the fight that
over one million people watched the fight live on television.
Q:
I heard a
rumor that you are in the process of writing a book about
something. Is that true?
A:
Well, yes that
is very true. I am in the process of writing my autobiography.
It will be called A Champion’s Life. In it I will talk
about my life as a child, my family, friends and all the great
experiences I have had in my life. I have about sixty pages done
and need a lot more. I hope to have it finished by June of 2005.
Q:
Finally,
You've had to fight the politics of the sport for so long, has
there ever been a time when you've said 'the hell with it'?
A:
In anything
there is going to be politics. Like I told you before, I just
have fun now. I have been in recent fights that I know I won,
and everyone knows I won, but the judges give it to the other
guy. That happens all the time in boxing. Now if I know I win a
fight and they give it to the other guy I just laugh. I laugh
all the way to the bank because I get paid if I win or lose.
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