Fres Oquendo Q&A - Calls out Arreola, Talks PEDs, Career, Corruption, Life after Boxing, and Mayweather - Pacquiao By Sam Geraci (May 31, 2012) Doghouse Boxing - Tweet
Interview and Photo by
Sam Geraci. Special to Doghouse Boxing. (Caption: Oquendo poses with two of his amateur fighters at
Chicago Fight Club named Rico Gonzalez and Devin Wittenberg).Photo taken this past Tuesday at Chicago Fight Club Gym at 4835 N. Elston, Chicago, IL, 60630
Sam: Congrats on your May 25th 9th round TKO victory over Joey Abell. How did you feel in that fight as compared to earlier in your career?
Oquendo: Thanks. I’m healthier now than I was in my twenties for the simple fact
that I’m doing everything right from the training and management to
going all-natural with natural supplements from the earth and even
alkaline water. I feel great. My body is healing itself.
Sam: In that fight I thought I saw a few wrinkles from B-Hop. In particular
the straight right hand followed by the quick footwork after the right.
Oquendo: We both did some work down at the 5th Street Boxing Gym and of course you pick up something from a fighter
with footwork like Bernard. That was some veteran footwork moves I used
on the 25th.
Sam: So,
like Hopkins, you have been able to maintain a high level by living a
clean life and staying in shape. Some fighters, however, like Berto and
Peterson and even Toney and Mosley have tested positive for performance
enhancing drugs. What do you feel about that and what those fight
cancelations have done for the sport lately?
Oquendo: Unfortunately,
these guys are being misguided and misled by whoever is advising them
and they’re not good people and it’s real sad. It’s become a black eye
for the sport and it’s gotta be stopped. Guys like myself are the
poster-child for what’s right and if you work hard, take care of your
body the right way, and supplement your body the right way you can have a
great long career and life like me and Bernard Hopkins.
Sam: So you think the fighters were taken advantage of? What do you mean by that?
Oquendo: Well,
those guys like Berto are working with people like Conte who have been
in trouble and to be working with someone like that it just shows how
naive some of these guys are and it’s sad. They still need to be
responsible for what they did.
Sam: What do you think about fighters who won’t take the drug tests?
Oquendo: They got something to hide and they are guilty of not keeping the sport clean and they should be prosecuted for that.
Sam: So, as far as you regiment, how has it changed or how is it at 39?
Oquendo: Oh,
man, I’ve been on a strict diet. For the last five years I’ve been
taking blood tests to see what works well with by body and what reacts
right. Everything that you eat is not healthy. Something might be
healthy for one person but not another. For me, dairy and some nuts
don’t work good, so I have to take other things like Almond Milk or
other natural supplements and I think they have helped sustain me to
this point in my career.
Sam: Alright, let’s talk about the ring. Who are you working with now in the corner?
Oquendo: Nate
Jones, the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist who is Floyd Mayweather’s
assistant trainer, my old nemesis, my old foe from the amateur days. A
great trainer and a great friend who is here training me.
Sam: How has that relationship been through the years?
Oquendo: Aw,it’s
been great. We have stayed close. He was a great amateur.
Unfortunately, his career did not blossom in the pros. That just goes to
show that some amateurs don’t get that opportunity to blossom in the
pros. For me, I didn’t get that medal in the Olympics but I blossomed in
the pros. It was tailor made for me, and I’ve been top ten for fifteen
years.
Sam: Fifteen
years is a long time to be in the top ten. A long time. One thing I
gotta say about older fighters who make it though is that they are
technically sound. Hopkins is technically sound. Tarver is technically
sound, Toney and even Winky who we’ll see this weekend to see if there
is anything left is technically sound. Other fighters like Roy Jones and
Shane Mosley who relied on speed and reflexes have really declined once
the raw speed and reflexes were gone.
Oquendo: Yeah you’re right. Being technical will give you more time.
Sam: Here’s another question about aging fighters. Are you guys still able
to compete because of being technically sound and what you guys are
doing to stay healthy or is it more that this generation of young
fighters just isn’t that good?
Oquendo: No, this generation is good. I don’t want to say anything bad about
this generation or take anything away from this generation. I think they
are good. We have the experience of everything in and out of the ring
and we now take care of our bodies, but there are some good young
fighters. Victories like mine last week and Hopkins’s over Pascal show
that if you say “no” to drugs and stay true to yourself anything is
possible.
Sam: What about the other man in your corner all of these years? Your brother?
Oquendo: My
brother Henry. That’s my right hand man. My Shadow. My inspiration.
We’ve been through all of our trials and tribulations and we’ve hung
together since day one. He makes me proud. He’s getting his Master’s
degree. I am very proud. When we get our stable of fighters at my gym,
they are going to have me training and my brother and team helping them
out so we can do it right for these kids. Do it honest.
Sam: How does your relationship with your whole team compare to your team when you were younger?
Oquendo: We
got great chemistry. Tom Tsatas is a strong core and Nate as a trainer
and my brother Hector Morales with my legal team keep everything moving
the right way and they keep me focused and away from all of the
distractions.
Sam: Seeing that things are going well, how much longer do you plan to fight?
Oquendo: Oh,
not too long. I mean I love the sport and I feel great even better than
when I was in my twenties but not too long. Maybe two to three fights
but not more than two or three years. Only God knows. I want that
elusive title then I’ll run off to the sunset.
Sam: Most of the public views you as a champ the day you dominated Byrd. How does that make you feel?
Oquendo: It feels great knowing that everyone knows what happened but that needs
to change in boxing. These judges and promoters are corrupt, and
they’re giving a black eye to the sport. It’s about time that judges
started getting suspended. In my fight with Mormeck everyone knows I
won. Rafael called it a candidate for worst decision of the year and
that guy got a huge payday to fight one of the Klitschkos while guys
like me who are the poster-child for doing things the right way are
getting left behind. That won’t happen to me again. I was pimped out
there, and I won’t let that happen again.
Sam: I am with you 100%. One of the judges who was suspended was from the
Williams-Lara fight. What do you think about what happened to Williams?
Oquendo: It’s real sad. He was a good fighter, and it just goes to show how
dangerous motorcycles can be. You can be doing everything right and
someone texting while driving can ruin it all. I wish him a quick
recovery.
Sam: What about the other sad news of ring legend Tapia?
Oquendo: Oh, that’s real sad. He was a good Latin boxer and a nice guy. The
autopsy will be out soon. He we went to the dark side from time to time
so I hope he has finally found peace. My thoughts are with the family.
Sam: Well, let’s get to it. This is what the fans want to know about Oquendo: Who do you want next?
Oquendo: Again,
my big goal is the Klitschkos, but if that doesn’t materialize then a
big money fight with one of the contenders like Arreola, Mitchel,
Jennings, or Adamek. The question is whether their people would put them
against me, so in the meantime I need to stay active. I’ll get a shot
soon. They can’t avoid me forever.
Sam: I’d
love to see you in a classic Mexican vs. Puerto Rican matchup
especially in September, but I’d also like to see you in a mega Chicago
showdown against Adamek that I think would sell well because of the
large Puerto Rican and Polish populations in Chicago.
Oquendo: Yeah,
that’d be nice. I’d take either fight. My choice would be Arreola
because of the Machismo vs. the Sweet Science and I know I’d take him
because we sparred and I took him to school. But I am going to Poland
soon for a promotion with Roy Jones and his Square Ring Promotions so
maybe there will be a possibility with Adamek. Me and him are two fast
and athletic heavyweights. That would be awesome in Chicago.
Sam: I think you and Adamek are both crazy enough to take that fight in order to prove your greatness.
Oquendo: Of course, of course. We’re both fighters.
Sam: If
the big fight doesn’t come, which I think it will by the end of the
year, but if it doesn’t come and you hung up the gloves today, how would
you feel about your career?
Oquendo: I’d
feel good. I’ve accomplished a lot and I am very proud of what I have
done in the ring. To this day, everyone still calls me champ because
they know I got robbed. I still have my health, which is not something
every boxer has. I am also proud of what I have been able to do outside
of the ring.
I fought my way out of
the Chicago Housing Projects through boxing to avoid gangs and drugs. I
have given back to Chicago and I am starting a not-for-profit in
Chicago’s Humbodlt Park community called the Fres Oquendo Boxing Academy
(FOBA) that will help kids of Chicago stay out of trouble and learn
about the sweet science and how to take care of themselves the right
way. Kids in Chicago, like I was, don’t have access to education about
how to take care of themselves the right way and this academy will help
them for free and teach them to build confidence and self-esteem through
the sweet science. Please check it out at www.fobaintl.org.
I would be very happy
with my career if it ended today. I have given back to the community,
and I have a beautiful family and they are proud of me and what I have
done for them. If I left tomorrow, I already have my transition plan
with the not-for-profit FOBA. I am very blessed.
Sam: Before we go, I wanted to ask which fighters you like to watch?
Oquendo: Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather…
Sam: Who wins that fight?
Oquendo: They both got distinctive styles. It’s
very interesting. Um, I’d give the edge to Floyd. You know, I’m a
technical fighter myself and Floyd is a more technical fighter.
Sam: What about the heavyweights?
Oquendo: Um, that’s tough. Not many are good to watch.
Sam: Thanks a lot for the time, Fres. So, one more time. Who would you want most out of Arreola, Adamek, and Mitchell.
Oquendo: The Puerto Rican vs. Mexican matchup is what the fans want. Machismo vs
the Sweet Science! Let’s do it for Mexican Independence Day on
September 15th.
E-mail Sam with Questions or comments at:
samjgeraci@gmail.com. For much more boxng headlines, news, videos, interviews and more, visit the homepage at DoghouseBoxing.
