To check out audio interviews with Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Giovanni Segura and Bernabe Concepcion, click here.LAS VEGAS - Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has promoted some of the top fighters in the lighter weight classes.
Michael Carbajal, a five-time world champion, might have been a 108-pounder, but he he banged like a heavyweight.
Arum turned Carbajal into one of the more popular fighters of the 1990s.
Arum compared Giovanni “The Aztec Warrior” Segura to Carbajal at Thursday’s news conference for the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito undercard at the MGM Grand.
Segura, 26, of Bell Gardens, is unbeaten and has recorded 15 KOs in 20 pro fights.
Segura had risen to No. 1 in the WBA’s 108-pound rankings and was set to travel to France to challenge WBA light-flyweight champion Brahim Asloum. Asloum ended up having some kind of issue with his blood and was unable to fight Segura.
Since Asloum was unavailable to defend his title the WBA ordered a fight between Segura and Cesar Cancila (26-1, 21 KOs) of Colombia for the interim WBA title.
Segura and Cancila exchanged some heated words at the news conference. I got an interview with the little KO artist afterwards. Here is what “The Aztec Warrior” had to say:
On Cancila saying he was going to KO him:
“I think if you are going to say something, you gotta say it with (guts). You can’t just say this and that. This is not a girl’s game. This is a man’s game. If you are going to say something, say it to my face. Say it with guys, you know. This is who I am. This is what I do. This is all about boxing. This is what Giovanni Segura is all about.”
On Arum comparing him to Carbajal and “Little Hands of Stone” being one of his idols:
“Of course, yes. That’s what boxing needs. We need some of these (fighters in the) small categories. We need people like that. People like me that fight. People that like to fight. people that make them stand up and scream as loud as they can. That’s what it’s all about. I mean, all I needed was a chance. Here it is. Here I am. And I’m going to do my thing.”
On the ups and downs of finding out the title fight is off and then on again:
“Well, I was already suspecting something like that. He (Asloum) offered me money to not fight him. He comes out with this B.S. about the blood thing. I mean, it was common sense that something would be happening. I mean, we have to go forward. We’re here right now. We got the title fight. I’m happy about it. I’m very anxious. I want it to be (happening) already today or tomorrow, but the time is coming up.”
On his critics saying he lacks defensive skills and is too inexperienced:
“People see things different on TV. In reality, when you are up there throwing punches … they don’t have no idea. I hit really hard. And the only way to find out how hard I hit is to be up there with me. The ones that feel my punches start going out.
