Thanks to my last edition of ‘Random Coyote Howlings’ (which, by and large, was dedicated to The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin), I was about to get some answers. In my boxing-related paragraphs, I bitched a wee bit about how I felt about Collazo, being a fan and all, and how goofy I thought it was to consider Zab Judah a higher rated welter, in consideration to his last two fights as opposed to how formidably Collazo performed against Hatton. It didn’t wash, kids. I asked for the opportunity to pick Collazo’s brain and, fortunately, Luis’ co-manager Abner Rivera read my last ‘Howlings’ and offered up an opportunity.
With that, I bring you Luis Collazo. Always ready for the next fight available, Collazo opened up on why he was passed up for a fight to fill the vacant WBA welterweight title position that he once owned, how he feels about the up-and-comers of the welterweight division and why Miguel Cotto would rather challenge the likes of Carlos Quintana instead of Collazo.
Read on for more, Howlers!
Coyote Duran: A great many fans felt you defeated Ricky Hatton in your WBA welterweight title fight. Now that Hatton’s vacated the welterweight belt to return to junior welterweight, in looking back at how he fared against you, did you assume that Hatton wouldn’t stay committed to 147?
Luis Collazo: Well, right now, what’s goin’ on is everyone’s trying to fight different people now. Miguel Cotto’s gonna be fighting Carlos Quintana (for the vacant WBA welterweight title), I believe, in December.
Coyote Duran: Luis, don’t you feel a little left out of the loop? I mean, you were the previous titleholder. Also, considering your showing against Hatton, wouldn’t it have made more sense to see you against Quintana?
Luis Collazo: Oh, definitely! But since Ricky went back down and Miguel’s moving up, they made Quintana and Cotto. So, hopefully, I’ll fight the #1 contender, Oktay Urkal, then hopefully get the winner of the Quintana-Cotto fight.
Coyote Duran: In looking back at the Hatton fight, do you think a seven-pound difference made a huge difference in his performance or was it your southpaw style that made the fight difficult for him?
Luis Collazo: I believe my style itself and me being aggressive. He’s not used to aggressive fighters. He’s used to him backing up fighters but I believe I was the stronger man that night and that’s why I stood in front of him like I did. But Ricky’s a great fighter. I came in and did what I had to do but he came out with the victory so I’ve just gotta move on with my career and hopefully get my title again.
Coyote Duran: After the Hatton fight, he said he would’ve gone a second time with you. What changed this?
Luis Collazo: I don’t know. He said he would do it again but at the end of the day, he didn’t believe he wanted the fight so that’s the reason he didn’t do it. But you know, that‘s how things work out.
Coyote Duran: Now with everything that’s going on in the 147-pound division, why is one of the division’s most interesting players in Luis Collazo seemingly left out of the mix?
Luis Collazo: Honestly, I don’t know. I never got the respect I deserved. I didn’t. But sooner or later, the respect is gonna have to come and the next fight I do fight, he’d (Collazo’s next opponent) better be real ready ‘cause there’s gonna be a lot of fireworks and I’ve got a lot of anger in me and I wanna let it out.
Coyote Duran: Do you think (Collazo’s promoter) Don King is doing his part in trying to get you back into the welterweight mix?
Luis Collazo: Oh, definitely! I’m supposed to meet up with Don King to sit down and see what the next move is because Carlos Quintana was gonna take ‘step-aside money’ because Cotto originally wanted to fight Oktay Urkal for the vacant WBA title but then Quintana was like “No, why don’t Cotto just fight me?†because Don wasn’t gonna let that (Quintana accepting ‘step-aside money’ so Cotto could take on Urkal) happen. So now, Cotto’s moves up from 140 to 147 and gets to fight for a vacant title. It don’t even work like that.
Coyote Duran: It shouldn’t work like that. Your co-manager Abner Rivera told me the other day that your camp was trying, at first, to secure a date for a bout against Quintana or maybe grab a date on the October 7 undercard to (the WBA heavyweight title fight involving) Nicolay Valuev-Monte Barrett in Chicago. What went wrong?
Luis Collazo: Well, we were working on the Carlos Quintana fight but his management said that if I won the fight, they’d want a rematch but there was just a lot of other (disagreeable) stuff in the contract. Then we found out Miguel Cotto was moving up and he was looking for an opponent. I was like “Oh, so if he’s moving up to ’47, why not give me an opportunity (to fight Cotto) and we can get in on?†It didn’t go that way and now he’s leaning towards Quintana. He probably seen a weakness when Joel Julio fought him (Quintana) but sooner or later, they’re gonna have to face me.
Coyote Duran: Do you think that Cotto’s team took a good look at how you stood against Ricky Hatton and had second thoughts?
Luis Collazo: Oh, definitely. Cotto’s camp, they aren’t dumb. They’re real picky with his opponents. I think that’s what they did. They looked over the (Hatton-Collazo) tape. They looked over the Quintana fight (tape against Joel Julio) and that’s what they did. They went with the weaker man.
Coyote Duran: With how Quintana fared against Joel Julio, who do you see coming out ahead in the Quintana-Cotto fight?
Luis Collazo: Oh, I believe Cotto because he has more experience and he gets stronger by the round. And Quintana, in the Julio fight, his conditioning wasn’t too great. He was huffing and puffing by the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds. You could see that he was getting tired. Cotto’s a great fighter. His conditioning is superb and I believe Cotto should come out with the victory on that one.
Coyote Duran: Now, as a whole, how would you describe the welterweight division, good, bad or indifferent, Luis?
Luis Collazo: Oh, it’s great right now! But they’re giving the hype to the wrong prospects right now. Paul Williams, who hasn’t fought really nobody. He fought Sharmba Mitchell, that I believe is down and out. Carlos Quintana fought Joel Julio who was still green, only 21. He didn’t have the experience for Carlos Quintana. Those are the prospects they got up right now but it’s crazy. It leaves me out. I fought the tougher guys and…I don’t know. Boxing is a lot of politics but at the end of the day, I’m gonna just have to go in there and do what I do best and that’s go in there and box and just leave it to my hands.
Coyote Duran: One of the better ratings systems in boxing is The Ring Magazine’s assessment of every weight class. But one thing that I took issue with recently was seeing Zab Judah rated at #3 although he lost his last two fights at welterweight very decisively. You, I believe, are at #4. What’s your take on their ratings? Are they flawed or is there a genuine reason for such odd positioning?
Luis Collazo: I believe Zab should be lower in the ratings. His outcome in the (World Welterweight Champion Carlos) Baldomir fight wasn’t great. The Mayweather fight either. But he’s been doing his thing already. He’s just been in the game for so long. But I just can’t wait. Like I said, this year coming up, God willing, I’m just gonna dominate the welterweight division.
Coyote Duran: Are you training right now, just in case something come up?
Luis Collazo: I train all year ‘round. This is my job. This is what I do. This is what I feed my family with. So, I’m always in the gym.
Coyote Duran: If no other opportunities come up for you, Luis, and you continue getting overlooked at 147, would you consider a jump to junior middleweight and perhaps chase the active titlists like (IBF titlist) Cory Spinks or (WBA titlist) Jose Rivera (who Collazo beat for the WBA welterweight title in 2005)?
Luis Collazo: That’s something I’m looking at in the future but, right now, my goal is to get crowned again at 147 pounds and whatever it is I have to do, I’m gonna be successful. I’m gonna do it.
Coyote Duran: What’s your opinion on Floyd Mayweather Jr. getting a shot at the World Title against Carlos Baldomir? Do you think he deserved it?
Luis Collazo: I believe Floyd deserved it, you know? He’s pound-for-pound, one of the best. But like I tell everybody, I believe Mayweather’s overrated and Zab exposed him for the first three rounds of the fight but Zab just didn’t have enough in the tank to keep him (Mayweather) at bay the way he started the fight. But hey, he’s (Mayweather) the man to beat. He’s the gold mine and I give him the most respect in doing what he’s doing.
Coyote Duran: If you could call out anybody in the welterweight or junior middleweight divisions as a good, immediate challenge for you, who would you pick first?
Luis Collazo: I would pick the top five. The top five in the world ratings of the welterweight division. It doesn’t matter. They guys that they say are the best; those are the guys that I wanna fight.
