Over the years, the light welterweight division has
housed many of the best fighters in the world, though things are constantly
evolving and changing with new talent emerging. One of these guys is late
starter Dierry Jean (of Haitian descent) from the boxing hotbed of Montreal,
Canada. During a six-year career, Jean has advanced to a spotless 23-0 (15),
last time out impressively becoming the first man to stop grizzled Mexican
warrior Ivan Cano in 11 rounds. The win positioned the 30-year-old closer to following
in his mentor, Joachim Alcine's footsteps. Currently, at 140 pounds, Jean is
ranked number one by the WBC, seven by the IBF and 14 by the WBA. He hopes to
parlay the Cano win into a title eliminator in early 2013. It would be
interesting to see Jean face the likes of Karim Mayfield, Kendall Holt or Denis
Shafikov to further advance his claims.
Anson Wainwright - You recently stopped Ivan Cano in the 11th round. Can you tell us about the
fight? Were you happy with your performance?
Dierry Jean – Overall happy with the
result though I was surprised to see him running in the ring. I think he got
hurt early. It's not like him to run. I would have liked to cut [off] the ring
more. I believe I would have stopped him earlier but like I said, overall happy
with the result.
AW - It's still early days
but when are you looking to fight next? What are your plans for 2013? Are you
targeting anyone? How far do you think you are from fighting the top guys?
DJ - Now that I'm ranked first in the WBC,
we're working on getting an elimination bout for early 2013; we're targeting
February. Our target is the WBC belt in 2013. It happens to be around the waist
of Danny Garcia now and I want to take it. Definitely feel ready for the top
guys in the world. The question is more like: Are they ready for what I will
bring them?
AW - For those who haven't seen
you, describe your style of fighting and what areas you consider to be your
strengths and what you're looking to improve on.
DJ - I like to believe that I'm a
complete fighter. I can adapt to any style of opponent. I can be a technician
and I can brawl. I got speed, power and skill. The key to everything is hard
work and dedication. The rest comes.
AW - Who are the members of your
team, your manager, trainer and promoter?
DJ - My team and I are a very tight-knit
family composed of my coach, Mike Moffa, my manager and promoter, Camille
Estephan, through Eye of the Tiger Management.
AW - Tell us a little about your
training before a fight.
DJ - My training consists of two
sessions a day, one session dedicated to strength-and-conditioning training
with my coaches, Jarek and Andre Kulesza, at Centre Claude-Robillard in
Montreal and boxing at night at Underdog Gym with Mike. As far as sparring
partners, I have the luxury to have excellent fighters as teammates with EOTM
such as Ghislain Maduma (a 11-0 (7) lightweight from Congo), Baha Laham (a 10-0-1
(4) super featherweight from Lebanon) and Mian Hussein (a 3-0 (3) light middleweight).
As well, of course, we have many excellent boxers in the area of Montreal but
what we do as well is hire specific sparring partners which styles are
comparable to my opponents. With diet, I try keep it simple and make sure I
don't balloon my weight after fights, so that I don't have to suffer cutting
weight too drastically prior to fights.
AW - I believe you’re of Haitian
descent. Could you tell us a little about your upbringing and your early years
and how the move to Canada came about and how you took up boxing?
DJ - I was introduced to boxing by
Joachim Alcine, a former world champion of Haitian descent from Montreal. I
think God meant [it] to be this way. One night, I had a dream that I was a
professional boxer and the next day, I met Joachim, who brought me to a boxing
gym. I was 18 and from the beginning, it was obvious that I was made for this
and since then, I never looked back. I'm very proud of my Haitian heritage and
very proud to be a Quebecer and Canadian.
AW - What was your amateur career
like, if you could talk about the tournaments you won?
DJ - As far as my amateur career, I was
provincial champion four years in a row and then decided to go pro as my coach
and I felt that my style was better suited for the pros. My final record was
54-8.
AW - What do you think of the light
welterweight division including the WBC and WBA “super” champion Danny Garcia,
WBA “regular” champ Khabib Allakhverdiev and IBF champion Lamont Peterson?
DJ - The division is quite loaded
with talent and very good fighters yet I truly believe that I belong among [them]
and I will prove that I'm the next great one. Through having good competition,
one can show greatness and I patiently await my opportunity to show that. I
believe Danny Garcia to be a good fighter with a good left hook. Nonetheless,
my team and I are pursuing this fight and we believe we have what it takes to
take care of business. Lamont Peterson is a good fighter among the rest in the
division. [Khabib Allakhverdiev vs. Joan Guzman] was a pretty close fight,
really exciting. I also gave it to Allakhverdiev though.
AW - What are your goals in
boxing?
DJ - My goals are quite simple. I want
to fulfill my potential and my team and I believe that would put me among the
best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Nonetheless, we'll take it one step
at a time and start by pursuing the world title in 2013.
AW - When you're away from
boxing, what do you like to do with your time? Do you have any hobbies or
interests, family, etc.?
DJ - I'm rarely away from boxing yet
when I am, it's family time and rest.
AW - What boxers did you look up
to when you were younger and who do you like to watch today?
DJ - I looked up to Joachim Alcine, who
introduced me to boxing and now, I like watching Floyd Mayweather.
AW - In closing, what would you
like to say to the light welterweight division?
DJ -
What I would like to say to guys in my division is, “Watch out, guys. It is ‘Dougy
Style’ time! My time!” “Dougy Style”
is my nickname as my friends call me “Dougy” and I'm recognized to box with
style. I would like to take the time to thank you for your coverage. It is much
appreciated.
