"If I could get one more fight to close out 2015, I'll definitely do that, but I want to fight for a championship. I want to fight one of those guys in the lightweight division with a belt. It's time, it's past due and I'm ready...I just want to be able to get in there and show everybody why they have been saying what they've been saying about me," stated lightweight contender Anthony Peterson, who talked about his future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: I'm sure a 30-second fight is not what you wanted or expected, but Mike Oliver didn't seem to want to take much damage. That being said, a win is a win. What do you think about?
AP: A lot of people ask what I think. I will never try to be in another man's mind unless I'm trying to break him down. It's something that happens in boxing. It's not the first time it's happened to me, but at the same time, I don't get paid by the hour, so the faster it's over for me, the better.
PC: He's a crafty veteran. I'm sure that's what you came in expecting?
AP: I was expecting him to be crafty, slippery, and try to survive 10 rounds and that would have been a victory for him. But it's my job to make him think different and that's what I did.
PC: It's been a tough couple of years for you with injuries and fighters pulling out of fights. How do you remain positive on the road to what I'm sure you're hoping is a title shot?
AP: I stay positive for two reasons. First of all, I'm a son of God, and secondly, I'm a boxing fan. I'm a fan of boxing and this is what I do. I love my craft. Even if I never get my shot, even though I earned it, I will never be the type of person that will get frustrated like I did once before. That's never going to happen.
PC: Since it was a quick night and you didn't suffer any damage, are you looking for a quick turnaround?
AP: I was back in the gym Monday after my fight. I was up in there with Demetrius Hopkins, who is a good friend of mine who is up in Headbanger Gym now. Of course he's Bernard Hopkins nephew. He's up in the gym and I went up there and sparred with him; was in the gym today. Everything remains the same. This is my job, this is my craft, this is what I do. I have no other hobby or job outside of boxing. This is what I do.
PC: Are you looking for one or two more fights to close out the year?
AP: No! If I could get one more fight to close out 2015, I'll definitely do that, but I want to fight for a championship. I want to fight one of those guys in the lightweight division with a belt. It's time, it's past due and I'm ready.
PC: Any lightweight belt holder in particular you're aiming for?
AP: All of 'em! I keep hearing Linares this and Linares that. I just want to be able to get in there and show everybody why they have been saying what they've been saying about me.
PC: Has it been a frustrating process for you? Like you said, not to the point where you would get frustrated with the sport again, but on a personal level, has it been frustrating?
AP: Oh yeah! I was 25 years old, in my prime, 30-0 with 20 knockouts. I was supposed to fight on June 5th on Miguel Cotto's card against Humberto Soto for the WBC. The whole package deal was ready for me. I was signed with Top Rank and that fight didn't happen. It wasn't because he got injured or anything. It's just things happen in boxing and that's when I shied away from boxing and started looking for things that made me feel better besides boxing, and that's when my first L came.
PC: Is it difficult fighting on the same cards as Lamont even though you guys are veterans now or is it something you both have grown accustomed to?
AP: Fighting with my brother on the same card, at first it was difficult in the early stages, but we are veterans now. We have seen it all, so there is nothing to really fade me or be devastated by. We understand this is a blood sport and not a pissing contest and we're both grown, we both veterans, so going in, of course we care about each other, but once we're in there, we're in there. There is nothing we could do about it or help each other.
PC: On the countdown shows leading up to the fight between Lamont and Danny Garcia, we got to see a little bit of interaction between you and Lamont. It seems he's more into the family thing and you're kind of carefree and free spirited. Lamont seems more private. Is that accurate?
AP: A zebra has stripes (laughing). I'm easy going and real talkative. I'm outspoken and like to talk to people. I like to express my feelings and my lessons around the world with people that's genuine fans.
PC: You are already back in the gym sparring, but is everything aside from that maintenance work or are you going full throttle?
AP: My two-a-days is shut down because you don't want to burn your body out, but I'm still going to the gym every day. When training starts when I get a fight, then I go two-a-days every other day, and of course sparring gets intense and my workouts get intense; weight starts to get cut off, friends start to get cut off, family start to get cut off, and you get prepared to fight. That was for 30-something fights and I prepared for each one of them as I was preparing for a championship fight. I shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this sport and I got a lot more to give.
PC: You've been at 135 for a long time. Is that still a solid weight for you?
AP: Oh yeah! I make that weight easy. Everybody was trying to tell me to go to 130, but I don't have no body fat, so when I get down to 36-35, that's it. I'm maxed out. Everybody saying where I should move or where I should go. I'm comfortable at lightweight. I'm not going anywhere. I'm trying to get these damn belts first (laughing).
PC: Every fighter wants a place to call home, where they can fight and the masses come out and support them. Sometimes fighters have to travel to find a place to call home and for some, it's your own backyard. You guys get the masses to come out and support you in DC. What does that mean to you to be able to fight there and have everyone come out and support?
AP: It's a dream come true. I remember being young and watching Mark Johnson, Keith Holmes, and William Joppy and guys like that fight at the MCI Center to see them fight, and DC always came out and showed support. I used to always tell my friends when I was in elementary and junior high school that one day, me and my brother was going to have a crowd and everybody in DC was going to follow us to the maximum. It's a dream come true and, like I said before, God is good.
PC: Fighters are the most envied athletes in the world, but in the social media age, the most ridiculed. Being part of the card where you saw what happened to Prichard Colon firsthand, you have to take into consideration the amount of disrespect you guys receive when y'all truly go lay it all on the line.
AP: This situation, this tragedy explains why boxing is...and I've said this before about fighting, and you can go back to my interviews and they just posted it on YouTube, boxing is not a sport. Boxing is organized crime. Where else in the history of so-called sports where you got two combatants beating the fuck out of each other and you have people in the audience cheering them on not knowing whether they are going to live or die, where else can you see that at? And it's all sanctioned by people. And people put on their best gear, put on their best jewelry, and pay top dollar to see two guys brutally bash each other over and over again. My heart and my soul goes out to Prichard. I don't know his condition right now, but I've been praying for him, like literally praying for him and his family and loved ones. It only takes one blow to end or change, for better or worse, your whole career and life.
PC: It just shows why you guys deserve the utmost respect because we don't know what you guys are feeling, we don't know what it's like to be in there, and the body never lies and that kid was feeling something that wasn't normal in there. You could see it in his body language and unfortunately now he's fighting for his life.
AP: That's true and I appreciate it.
PC: I appreciate your time. It's always a pleasure talking to you and I hope you get that title shot you are looking for. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
AP: I say this after every interview that I do; signed and sealed, keep God first and anything is possible.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]