"I just proved that I’m one of the best amongst the division and I’m still proving it. I’m willing to fight anybody and I’m looking forward to it...I was ready. I’ve been ready for this moment my entire life. This is what I’ve always wanted was to become a primetime fighter. I’ve been ready...I’m an elite fighter. If you don’t got any tools to slow me down, it’s going to be tough to beat me," stated middleweight contender Luis Arias, who talked about his latest win, his future plans, and much More. Check it out!
PC: You had your coming out party so to speak in June on the Ward-Kovalev rematch card. What did you think of your performance?
LA: I got the job done. I came into that fight needing to make a statement. I always felt like I was one of the best amongst the division and I just had to prove it. That was my opportunity to prove it. I fought somebody who everyone thought was going to beat me. It was supposed to be a tough fight, the toughest of my career, and I completely dominated him. I didn’t have not one problem with him. So, I just proved that I’m one of the best amongst the division and I’m still proving it. I’m willing to fight anybody and I’m looking forward to it.
PC: Every fighter feels like they belong on that big stage, but until you’re actually on that stage and prove it, especially in boxing, there will always be skepticism. You tackled that part of the course. Do you feel that catapulted you from prospect to contender?
LA: I mean, I’ve fought on big stages before; I just never got the TV slot. I finally got the moment to be on TV. I was ready. I’ve been ready for this moment my entire life. This is what I’ve always wanted was to become a primetime fighter. I’ve been ready. I have relived that moment so many times. The entire time I was training, I was reliving it and thinking about it and I did exactly what I was supposed to do.
PC: Was there anything about Arif Magomedov that surprised you, or after studying him, was he everything that you expected?
LA: I didn’t think the fight would be as easy as it played out. I thought he would be a little tougher, but he got smoked. He couldn’t do anything with me. That goes to show you, man, I’m an elite fighter. If you don’t got any tools to slow me down, it’s going to be tough to beat me.
PC: It's gotta be a great feeling to be the first fighter to stop him.
LA: Yeah, yeah, definitely! That’s what I’m saying. It makes the statement that much bigger. I stopped somebody that’s never been stopped. That kid was ranked #3 by the WBC at one point in his career and it was definitely a good statement.
PC: Are you back in the gym now or taking it easy for now?
LA: Yeah! I stay in the gym. I can’t let my weight get too crazy. I be in and out of the gym. I’m not in full training camp mode. I like to relax and let my body get healed a little bit and put a little weight on; all I need is 7 weeks. You give me 7 weeks and anybody can get beat. I’ll be in perfect shape for anybody.
PC: We have Canelo-Golovkin on the horizon and Jermall Charlo just made his middleweight debut. When would you like to return and get in the mix?
LA: Some time in the fall. Like I said, if they call me tonight and said we are fighting in 7 weeks, I can go into full-fledged training. As long as I got time to train, I’m willing to fight this fall; some time in September, early October, or mid-October. I would like to get at least 2 more fights in by the end of the year so I could keep climbing those rankings.
PC: You have grown so much as a fighter since the first time I saw you out in Vegas competing. What are some of the things you had to work on or change to become a complete fighter?
LA: Honestly, a lot of it had to do with conditioning. I always felt like I was a great fighter. When I’m in great shape, I have a lot of tools. It’s just a matter of being able to use those tools for 10-12 rounds. Early in my career, I just started gassing out after 5 or 6 rounds. When I fought my first 8-rounder, getting to 8 rounds, it seems like it took forever. It was killing me. But now, fighting 10 or 12 rounds is nothing. I think it was mostly my conditioning. I just had to step my conditioning up and step my training up and just go through the process. I worked my way through the process and became a legitimate 10 to 12 round fighter.
PC: How important was it for you to make all of the pieces of the puzzle come together right now at this moment to make that leap from prospect to contender?
LA: It was very, very important. If you want to compete at that highest level, everything has to be in tune; the eating, the conditioning, the training, and mental aspect. Now that I have matured as a fighter and just as a man, I’m in the perfect stage in my life where I’m ready for that stage. I’m taking my training seriously, I’m eating correctly, and I distance myself from everybody. When I’m in training camp, I’m by myself. All of those things are paying off on fight night. They are very helpful and I’m ready to keep climbing. I’ve got everything in tune and as long as I keep doing what I’m doing, the sky is the limit.
PC: You always hear a lot about the South Florida scenery and how it can become a distraction. How have you maintained your discipline and stayed focused on boxing out there?
LA: I love South Florida because of the weather. I can go for a run any day of the year in shorts because it’s hot year round. I got my strength and conditioning trainer and my boxing gym are 10 minutes apart. My location is perfect. I mean, there are a lot of distractions. I live about an hour north of Miami. I feel like that’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because if I just want to take a break for a couple of days, I can just shoot down to Miami real quick. But, I don’t pay no mind to that. I started my career in Las Vegas and that’s the biggest party city in the world. If I was able to get on and win 10 fights living in the biggest party city in the world, I can train anywhere.
PC: Is there anyone in particular you want to fight or is it just whoever they put in front of you?
LA: I mean, I’m willing to fight anybody, but I just need named opponents. I feel like if I would have fought Gabe Rosado on that pay-per-view card and knocked him out, my name would be booming right now. But since I fought somebody that no one knew, it definitely helped, but it didn’t really catapult me to where I need to be. I need names. I’ve already said it, I’m willing to fight David Lemieux right now, I’m willing to fight Andy Lee right now; any former world champion or title contender or anyone in the top 10. Put them in front of me and I’ll figure them out and do my best to get them out of there.
PC: I look forward to seeing you back in there. Best of luck moving forward and definitely keep me posted. Is there anything else before I let you go?
LA: Thank you! These guys need to step up. So anybody in the middleweight division with a name that need a fight, I’m here, so what’s up?
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]