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JAMES FISHER: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW By Elisa Harrison |
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JAMES FISHER: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW By Elisa Harrison |
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Photo Credit: EHarrison/BRC
I approached Mr. Fisher, told him I had issues with him regarding the Steve Kim article and
Tito Trinidad being portrayed as a cheater. He was quick to assure me the had never implied
that the Trinidads were cheating, and when I asked him to put it on tape, he gave me his digits
so we could set up an interview as soon as possible.
We got together the following Monday, and this is what we talked about.
JFISHER: Well, I have many positions with Bernard. As everyone
knows, my dad, Bouie Fisher is Bernard's trainer. Every since Bernard has been with my dad, we
have developed a relationship such as brothers. We are real close, he calls me his "sponge."
I absorb everything; before it gets to him, I absorb it. I'm like a buffer, such as they used
in "The Godfather." I handle a lot of his business deals, business things, such as the camp.
I arrange the camp, oversee it and make sure everything is in order.
JFISHER: For all the fans that don't know the procedure of a
championship bout, or any bout, before a fighter can have his hands wrapped, a representative
from the opposing camp has to be in the dressing room. When they came to our dressing room and
asked for a representative, myself and brother Nazim Richardson, who is a second in Bernard's
corner, went over to Tito's dressing room. When we got there, one of his hands was already
wrapped...
BRC: Do you remember which one?
JFISHER: I think it was his left hand, it was already wrapped
and Tito's dad didn't want to take the wrap off. The Commission's representative didn't want
us to make him take the wrap off, he said it was okay, but that's not the rules, he had to take
the wrap off.
We debated back and forth for like an hour and they finally had to call the chief inspector
for the New York State Athletic Commission and when he came, he told them what the rules were,
which they already knew, and they cut Tito's wraps off. Then, they started wrapping his hand
again, and there was a controversy on the way he (Trinidad Sr.) was wrapping Tito, as far as
the use of the tape and gauze. That's when they called my dad, and they were going back and
forth on the proper way to wrap hands, and the commission agreed with my dad that you had to
wrap the hands with the gauze and the tape, not too much padding on the knuckles... a lot of
little technical things that had to be changed. Changes were made and the fight went on. But
there was never an issue where anyone in Bernard Hopkins' camp thought the Trinidads were
cheating.
It's just that it's not their job, you know... To enforce them taking the hand wraps off; the
commission, the guy that was inspecting, he should have never even let them start, but he did,
and he was like, being unfair, you know.
JFISHER: No, we weren't late getting there. As soon as they told
us to go around there, we went to the dressing room. Nobody never told us to go around there
any earlier.
JFISHER: Well, to be honest, I really didn't like the article.
There were quotes made from James Fisher that weren't accurate, there were quotes made that
weren't really quotes, because I never knew that an article was going to be written about what
I was saying.
Steve Kim is a friend, he is around our camp all the time, and we just had a discussion about
what happened in the dressing room, and I just told him, you know, that there was a problem
with the wraps. People use different things, opportunities to say what they might really want
to say. But I never, EVER, made an issue about the Trinidads cheating, never!
JFISHER: After the article came out, I read a couple of things
that Joppy said. Joppy is a friend of mine, a guy who I really like. I read a statement that
Vargas made. My thing is, both of these guys had opportunities, both of them, they were in
fights with Trinidad, so it's not all about the hands, Trinidad's hands; it's about a lot of
other things. It's his courage, his heart and his determination, that's why he's
been the great fighter that he is for the last decade or so. It's nothing about the hand wraps;
I don't believe in excuses because the background where I come from you can't make no excuses.
You are responsible for your actions, you know, and when something happens, I'm not a sore
loser, it just happened.
They (Joppy and Vargas) had corner men who were in the dressing room watching Trinidad's hands
get wrapped, they didn't see nothing wrong. They had inspectors in there, watching Trinidad's
hands get wrapped. When he fought Vargas, that was in Vegas, and under Marc Rattner, they
have one of the best boxing commissions in the United States, besides Pennsylvania. They do a
great job, and they didn't see anything wrong with the way Tito's hands were wrapped.
When Tito fought David Reid he fought him in Vegas, they didn't see anything wrong with the
way his hands were wrapped, so don't come now, because someone gave you a way out, to make an
excuse.
I really don't think that -knowing Joppy- that he really... I think that he might have made
a statement about it, but I can't see him making excuses. I think that, like reporters do,
reporters ask questions and they take what they want to take from the conversation and they
print that...
JFISHER: Right, some reporters, not you. I think that's what
might have happened with Joppy. I don't know why Vargas would say that, but, those losses that
they took to Trinidad are nothing to be ashamed of. Trinidad is a great fighter. I mean,
Vargas, he got hit with a great shot in the first round and for him to do what he
did... I wasn't a fan of his, but after that fight I became a fan of Vargas because he showed
a lot of heart, and grit and determination, to get up from those shots and fight back in a
vicious war, and almost get Trinidad out. Trinidad was just a little too smart for him, more
experienced, and he didn't get him but he has nothing to hang his head about; don't come with
excuses now, because that takes away from the fight that you put forth.
JFISHER: In some people's eyes he didn't; in our eyes we knew he
had a great shot, we knew it was going to be easy.
JFISHER: Well, it has to be the fight of his lifetime because
this was his first time fighting a champion.
JFISHER: If Tito could have done better, Bernard probably could
have done better. I mean, everything was diagramed perfectly. It took months of studying the
Trinidad style. My dad and Bernard have a perfect chemistry and they just broke everything
down perfectly, and Bernard followed the blueprint. My dad was the architect and Bernard was
the builder, he just followed the blueprint.
JFISHER: The whole world was surprised. He surprised a lot of people, he surprised don Tito Sr., they expected something totally different from what they got. They thought it was going to be a rough, Keith Holmes type of affair, grappling and all that, but the Keith Holmes fight was that way because Keith Holmes made it
that way. He was holding and grabbing. But Tito Trinidad is a guy who has nothing but courage and
he is a stalker, and he is a killer. So, you don't have to, I mean, he is not going to be grabbing, it's not his
style, so why would you fight him like that? Let him come to you and pick him apart, and that's exactly
what happened.
JFISHER: Yeah, it did happen. In the fifth or sixth round, they
got into a heated exchange and Tito caught him with a great left hook and Bernard didn't go
anywhere, he fired back with four shots of his own, you could see it in Tito's eyes, like damn!...
JFISHER: No, no plan B.
JFISHER: I think motivation; like a lot people said his dad must
be crazy, what fight was he watching?... His dad was doing what he had to do. His dad saw
something in his son, that's his son, he knows him better than anyone else, that he needed
some inspiration. If he told his son at that moment when he asked him 'you are losing, man,'
how would he fight then?
When he told his son that he was winning, Tito came out and was like, basically in like a lull,
he wasn't really into the fight mentally, because Bernard took him out of the fight mentally.
So, if he had told his son 'you are losing,' I mean, he might have quit, anything might have
happened. So, his father was telling him the right thing, 'you are winning, son, you are
winning' to keep his courage up, his hopes up.
JFISHER: He is fighting February 2nd in Reading, Pennsylvania
for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world.
Carl Daniels is a southpaw fighter from St. Louis, he was the champion at 154 pounds one time
and he's a pretty good fighter. It will be Bernard's fifteenth middleweight title defense,
which will surpass the great Argentinean Carlos Monzón's record for title defenses as a
middleweight. It's going to be a great fight!
JFISHER: Well, it's not hard to be motivated. It's not hard for
a guy like Bernard Hopkins to get motivated for any fight because he is a fighter. Fighting is
his life, and he always finds an edge that makes him hungry.
His edge now is that Carl Daniels is in his way to Roy Jones, Jr., to Oscar de la Hoya, to
Vargas. He wants all these big name fighters, he wants to really prove that what people saw
against Tito Trinidad was something that will repeat itself, given the opportunity to fight
great fighters. So, Carl Daniels is not somebody he is going to take lightly, he'll be just as
hyped for Carl Daniels as he was for Tito.
JFISHER: Well, as far as anyone who comes from Philadelphia, or
any inner city, mainly, where there is a great Puerto Rican community, you have to interact
with Puerto Ricans. So, there is no racism from Bernard Hopkins towards the Puerto Rican
people.
The flag incident is something that happened, it was a few things that caused it to happen...
JFISHER: Well, you have a promoter who is promoting both fighters
and he is constantly waving flags in Bernard's face and "Viva Puerto Rico..." Right, "Viva
Puerto Rico" is great, but don't be biased towards the other fighter.
It all started when we first got to New York, we went for a photo shoot for Pay Per View,
got there at noon. Bernard was on this podium from, like, 1:00 p.m. until
6:30 p.m. When Tito got there, Tito was there from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. What they did was
basically use Bernard to prepare the cameras, to set up the shot, as a guinea pig.
So, he (Hopkins) felt a little bitterness because the promoter set up the time that we arrived
in New York. Then we get to the press conference the next day, and it was "Viva Puerto Rico,"
nothing about Bernard Hopkins. Tito was waving the flag in his face and Bernard took it and
threw it. He didn't take the flag and threw it as something against Puerto Ricans, it was
something against, from fighter to fighter, that I'm not a chump, you are not going to keep
disrespecting me.
He was being disrespected by Don King and by Trinidad, you know, he took it personal. Then, the next
day we got to Philadelphia for the press tour, everything was fine and they told us that they
didn't want us to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico, unless Bernard apologized, and Bernard thought
that there was no need to apologize. We all thought that there was no need to apologize because
it was nothing meant towards Puerto Rican people itself, so we told them if apologizing meant
we go to Puerto Rico, we don't have to go, because we are not going to apologize. So, they told
us that it would never come back up again...then we got to Miami and Tito brought it up again,
he said: "I guarantee you that Bernard Hopkins won't do that in Puerto Rico, or else."
Bernard got mad about that, and then we got to San Juan. They said in Miami that nobody was
going to bring it up in San Juan. We got there, it was just real tense; but the Puerto Rican
people, the fans, they had little signs about Bernard, but it was all joking. They were like
sticking their fingers up to us, but they were smiling and doing it, it was nothing. But, you
know, Trinidad Sr. got up and he started talking about the flag incident, something they said
nobody was going to talk about, then when Tito got up he started pointing at Bernard, then
Bernard stood up and Tito started saying that he guaranteed that Bernard wouldn't do this here,
and that after the fight he was going to send Bernard to the dentist, because someone had a
sign saying that, about the dentist, and Bernard got mad... Don King standing there with a big
smile on his face, "Viva Puerto Rico," waving the flag...
If you watch the tape, he (King) is standing right next to Bernard waving the flag in his face;
he took the flag this time from Don, and threw it...Then the melee broke out but Bernard
always said that he would not apologize before the fight, he wouldn't do it, but the way they
wanted him to apologize, it took more of a man to apologize the way he did, after a great
victory, in front of millions of watchers and out of the millions I guarantee 90% were Puerto
Ricans, they were the ones that pushed the Pay Per View to watch Bernard get beat. The Pay Per
View sales were boosted because of the incidents with the flag, Bernard didn't get no money
but he boosted the sales, there were a lot of people watching.
For him to be man enough to look Tito in his eyes and tell him how great of a champion he is
and also to apologize, not only to Tito, but to the Puerto Rican people, I think it was a
great gesture. And, Tito accepted it, his father accepted it. His father took off his headband
and gave it to Bernard as a token of accepting Bernard's apology...and that was it.
We came home and like about a month later Don King scheduled for us to go to San Juan, Puerto
Rico and we flew from Philadelphia International, we had to stop over in Atlanta and as we were
in Atlanta, it was a Sunday, the same Sunday in which the bombing began in Afghanistan and we
continued to go to Florida and when we got there, they decided we couldn't go to Puerto Rico.
But Bernard Hopkins, against everybody's advise, his wife's, his mother's, everybody's, they
were afraid, they told him not to go, he was going to go, because he gave his word that he
would do that. He told Tito that he would come to San Juan, to the Roberto Clemente Stadium,
in front of all the people to which he did that to, in front of him, and apologize publicly
and he made the move to do that but everything happens for a reason, the bombing began in
Afghanistan...
JFISHER: In life, everybody takes things differently. There will
always be people of Puerto Rican descent who are going to really have like a little bitterness
against Bernard Hopkins for what he did, you know, some people, like even Black people, we
live for reasons to dislike people. We're just people that have been oppressed so long that we
are looking for something to... I don't know... I really can't explain it but in Philadelphia,
the Puerto Rican fans have embraced Bernard, they love him. In New York, the Puerto Rican
fans, they love him. We went shopping in New York, two weeks after the fight, we have friends
who own a leather store on Orchard Street, and there is nothing but Puerto Ricans that work
in that block and when Bernard Hopkins was there, they came...they were begging for pictures,
wanted his autograph, some of them said they loved the way he fought Tito, when none of them
thought that Bernard would beat Tito and they said they were impressed the way he beat him,
and the way he handled himself after the fight. Everywhere Bernard goes I'm with him, we have
never had an incident with a Puerto Rican person where it was negative.
You see, most Puerto Rican people are fight fans first, and they understand, they understand
that what Bernard did was great. They understand that Tito is a great fighter and they showed
that by the way they received him when he went home after the fight. The way they embraced him,
they came to the airport, to the Stadium to embrace him, they are great fans, they are great
people, they are family people. They understand, most of them; like I said I've never met
anyone who was negative, the ones I've seen, they accept Bernard Hopkins.
JFISHER: I don't know, because I didn't see the trophy with
Tito's name on it, so I don't know, but it's kind of ironic though, that before the fight,
during the tour, it was announced that the trophy would be given out in the center of the ring
to the winner of the tournament. Bernard didn't get it, it took a couple of days for him to get
it; we were told that the trophy was in a time vault, a whole lot of different things, I
don't know...you see, a thing about me, if I don't see it, I don't put blame on people, but
it's kind of ironic, I didn't see the trophy with Tito Trinidad's name on it, so I can't say
that HBO, and the Garden and Don King had Tito's name on it, but it's kind of ironic that
Bernard didn't get it that night.
JFISHER: If we had our choice, it would be to fight Oscar. The
Oscars, the Vargas and the Shane Mosleys of the world; guys who in the last two years have
accomplished things.
As far as Roy, Roy has been ducking Bernard since 1993, they have been offering him the fight
since '93. So, what Bernard was saying was that a Roy Jones fight doesn't make him. Roy needs
him more than he needs Roy because who else is Roy going to fight? He's going to fight Glen
Kelly, a guy from Australia, and I don't underestimate any fighter, because it takes a lot of
courage to get in the ring. But, I never heard of Glen Kelly, I've heard of his brother Kevin
before, when he fought David Reid in a championship bout.
The way it looks like now, that's why they're having like a doubleheader, because HBO wants
Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones and if the money is right Bernard will fight Roy tomorrow. He's
not worried about Roy Jones, he'll fight him tomorrow.
JFISHER: No, that's the first I hear about that. For what reason?
JFISHER: Twenty million, right now it should be fifty-fifty.
Bernard is bringing a lot to the table; in that fight what you should really be selling is
two undisputed champions fighting each other, hasn't happened in a long time and it hasn't been
since Ray Robinson and Joey Maxim that a middleweight, a credible middleweight, went to 175
pounds to challenge for a light heavyweight championship. So, it's a fight that definitely
can sell and I think that Bernard asking for $20 million now is not unreasonable.
Marvin Hagler got $18 million to fight "Sugar" Ray Leonard, that was fifteen years ago.
JFISHER: I'm trying to figure out how, in 1987 I think it was,
Bob Arum pulled it off. How did he pull it off? Ray Leonard got over $20 million, Hagler got
$18 million. Hagler was no more famous at that time than Bernard Hopkins is now. Hagler didn't
achieve -accomplish- a fight of the magnitude of Trinidad's before he fought Leonard. He beat
Tommy Hearns and those guys but it wasn't as big as winning the middleweight tournament, so...
they can't sell that fight? I find that hard to believe...
I agree with Roy Jones, if HBO can't come up with that money and they can't promote the fight
and come up with the kind of money these guys deserve, I wouldn't fight on there neither.
JFISHER: Right now Shane is talking about coming up to 154, so
Bernard, he weighs in at 157 anyway, so they would fight at a catch weight. Bernard would
weigh in at 156 or 157, for Bernard's belts.
JFISHER: I think that for years Oscar has been a great champion,
and he's basically fought all comers, and I think that either he's going to have to retire or
fight. He's going to have to fight Bernard Hopkins, Fernando Vargas; because what's happening
now is that his fans, the Mexican people, they are starting to turn on him. Mexicans like
fighters, that's what made Julio Cesar Chavez so great, he fought everybody; that's why they
love him, they'll never stop loving him.
What Oscar is going to have to do is retire, because he can't make excuses why he won't fight
Vargas, why he won't fight Bernard Hopkins, why he won't fight Trinidad. These are the guys
who are there, he gotta fight them, and I think once that pressure is put on him, I think he
will fight. I don't know if Bob Arum will want it, but I think Oscar is not a chump, I think
he will want it.
JFISHER: He would rather fight Vargas because he'd think that the experience level is a little different. He might
can outsmart Vargas, but Vargas is not an easy opponent for Oscar. Vargas is tough, and I think
in his fight with Tito, he should have learned a lot from that fight and it's a dangerous fight
for Oscar.
I think a fight with Bernard Hopkins is very dangerous but it would be a great fight. I mean
come on up, fight for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world; when everybody
thought Tito was going to win, Oscar was talking about coming up to 160, so he could have a
championship in six different weight classes; don't stop now because Bernard won.
JFISHER: Oh, the relationship is great, it's business. Don is a
great businessman, Don IS the greatest promoter in boxing, hands down, no one -like him, love
him or hate him- can take that away from him.
Mike Tyson, as great he is, as far as his marketability, he hasn't made the same type of money
without Don as he made with him. Don King is the greatest promoter around, you know, it's
just business.
To be successful in business you gotta be shrewd, and somebody has to pay the price for that.
So, if you are vulnerable and you are not smart enough to have a lawyer present when you sign
something, or if you sign something with nobody's name on it, no words on it, who do you blame?
JFISHER: Probably until Bernard retires, for the next three years.
JFISHER: Winky is a good fighter, I think Winky beat Vargas. So,
if you are going to put Vargas, you have to put Winky in there. His name is not as big as the
other fighters you mentioned, but, he is a good fighter, he is a champion.
JFISHER: Same Bernard, still talking in his sleep. He hasn't
changed...You know, our religion teaches us to be humble, when you are not humble, Allah
punishes you and takes things away from you. Arrogance is a sin, so, to change... he knows the
magnitude of changing, and that's something he always says, he said it before the Trinidad
fight, that he would be humble in victory, and that's what he was. He acts the same towards me
and everybody around him, I haven't seen changes.
JFISHER: Bernard Hopkins.
JFISHER: Bernard Hopkins.
JFISHER: Never Roy Jones. I would have said Trinidad like two
years ago, because Bernard Hopkins didn't have an opportunity to display his skills. After
Bernard fought Antwun Echols the second time, which was a throw-in, a guy they just threw in
there, the politics of boxing, making him number one again, and the way Bernard fought him, I
had to give him pound for pound.
Bernard fought this guy who was a killer, he's still a killer, and just totally ran a clinic
on him, the night before Trinidad fought Vargas in Las Vegas... I mean, this guy body slammed
Bernard, injured his shoulder, he boxed him with one arm. It doesn't happen that often in
boxing; these guys quit when they get a nosebleed, so I would have to say he was my pound for
pound fighter from that point on.
I come from a family where boxing has always been in my blood, and I study boxing, and I know
in the old days, fighters were tested. That's why you called Ray Robinson pound for pound,
because he was tested. He fought killers day in and day out, they fought every other week, and
he wasn't fighting no tomato cans, they were fighting wars, and he would come out victorious;
so you can't put a guy like Floyd Mayweather, Jr., in there, I think it would be unfair, he
hasn't been tested. But, you can put Oscar de la Hoya on there, he's been in wars. You can
definitely put Trinidad on there, he's been up off the canvas a thousand times.
Roy is a good fighter, but Roy hasn't fought nobody lately, so he shouldn't be on there.
Bernard Hopkins, he's been there, he's fought everybody they gave him, they may not have been
household names but they were tough guys, all number one contenders, so he would be pound for
pound.
JFISHER: There are pros and cons to everything. There are a lot
of perks traveling with a champion, everybody loves fighters. Bernard is very recognized, and
although there are some people that get over zealous with their fanhood, like some collectors
that irk you...
The hardest thing about going to camp, being away four or five weeks, is being separated from
your family. I'm the father of four children, and I spend a lot of time with them, so when I'm
away, it's murder! My phone bill is extremely high, I'm on the phone constantly, I miss my
family, my mom, everybody. It's hard to be away but it pays the bills.
JFISHER: The same, he has his wife and a daughter. It's sacrifice,
you know, in life you have to sacrifice.
JFISHER: Yeah, it gives him the edge. My father, he comes from
the old school, where fighters should be isolated, and it gives them that edge, it makes them
hard. You know, some fighters lay up with their wives, their girl friends...We were at camp
last time, at the Ranch, and I don't want to mention names, but fighters who had used the camp
before us had girls with them and stuff...We couldn't relate to that, because my dad would
never have had; ain't no women allowed anywhere near us, not while we are in camp. I feel like
a prisoner, like I'm incarcerated, but sacrifice is important; to achieve great things, you
have to sacrifice.
JFISHER: It was real special for him. You know, my dad is real
smooth, his emotions don't show, but they did show when they finally gave Bernard the Ray
Robinson trophy, that Monday after the fight at Gallagher's Steak House...He gave a speech and
had everybody crying. He was recognized as Trainer of the Year in L.A. by the World Boxing Hall
of Fame, also by a couple of organizations in New York, we got two Trainer of the Year awards
up there. He is 73 years old, will be 74 years old in June, sometimes things come late, but
they are sweet when they come.
What made it even greater is the fact that the tournament was a "Sugar" Ray Robinson tournament,
where a "Sugar" Ray Robinson trophy was given. Every since I was a kid, we had an 8 mm projector,
and we would watch old "Sugar" Ray Robinson fights. My dad would put up a sheet on the wall,
and we would watch, because that was his favorite fighter of all times.
If you watch Bernard's fights, my dad wears Robinson's belt off his robe around his neck; he
misplaced it the last fight, against Tito, but he found it now. Robinson took it off his robe
when he fought "Kid" Gavilan in Philadelphia, he just walked through the crowd and took it off
his robe, and my dad wears it around his neck, I mean the belt is like 51 years old now. If you
watch Bernard's fights you will see my father wearing that belt around his neck. So, when they
gave Bernard the trophy, he took the sash from around his neck and wrapped it around the trophy.
BRC: I want you to set the record straight, because fans don't have the advantage that -for
instance- I'm having right now, where I can look at you, listen to you, and thus gauge in my
own mind how truthful you are being...I can tell you that there are a lot of hard feelings, and
since we are all boxing fans, we all love the sport, I would like to see some of the rift
abated, and maybe through you we can accomplish that.
JFISHER: First of all, Team Hopkins, our relationship with Team
Trinidad, it was a good relationship. There is no bitterness between us, I saw Tito's dad
after the fight and we spoke, there is no bitterness there. And as far as Tito Trinidad,
Steve Kim's article really didn't sit well with me because as a fighter, if it had been
anyone else I probably wouldn't have cared, but on my list Tito is one of the best fighters in
the world.
I might be a little biased because Bernard is my friend and I say he is the best, but Trinidad
is one of the best fighters in the world and his accomplishments are great, so I would never
say anything to harm him or his legend. He is a Hall of Fame fighter and I would never be on
the bandwagon to take away from that. He is a legend, an icon of boxing; he has been a
champion since 1993, undefeated since '93, he fought a fighter who outfought him on September
29th, Bernard Hopkins. He was a man in defeat as he has been in victory and I have a lot of
respect for him.
When we went on the press tour, he treated me with respect, I treated him with respect and
admiration before the fight, after the fight... I don't have a problem with Trinidad, and I
would NEVER, EVER, make an assumption or an accusation that he is a cheater, his dad is a
cheater. I would never do that; anyway, it would be stupid for me to do that, because it would
take away from the magnitude and the greatness in which Bernard Hopkins beat Trinidad. If it
goes on record that Trinidad has been cheating his last twenty title defenses, that makes it
look like Bernard Hopkins didn't accomplish anything and it's unfair for people to do that, so,
to the Latino fans, you have a great champion in Trinidad and I respect the way you embraced
him after the fight and I hope that you continue to support him if he continues to fight.
Me personally, as a Tito Trinidad fan, I hope he doesn't fight anymore, he has nothing else to
prove in boxing, he has done it all. He has money, he has success, he still has his good looks,
go ahead and ride off in the sunset, there's nothing to come back for...unless you want to
fight Oscar de la Hoya for some reason, to get some money; but there is nothing else to prove,
he has done it all, and he is "el gran campeón."
JFISHER: Well, you just have to be honest, and I want to thank
you for giving me the opportunity to let, not only the Puerto Rican fans hear this, but I want
the Trinidads to hear that the Fishers, along with Bernard Hopkins, have no problem with them,
specially when it comes to the hand wraps, cheating and all that. We never thought Tito was
cheating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each reader will form his or her own impression about James Fisher. Let me just say that 99% of
the text on this interview is unedited. It meant a lot to me that Fisher cared enough to try
and make amends with the Latino fans, in particular the Puerto Ricans. His words had a ring of
truth to them, and I do believe him when he says he admires and respects Tito Trinidad.
It is my sincere hope that the words of James Fisher will help heal some of the wounds that
were opened during the weeks prior to September 29th, 2001. In closing, I would like to say
something to Bernard Hopkins, and that is: Bernard, you are very blessed to have the Fishers
in your corner. They are classy people who represent you very well. Loyalty is a rare commodity
these days, and in James Fisher you have a very loyal and true friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brought to you by Saratogamist
copyright 2001-200
James Fisher is never too far behind Bernard Hopkins, he is hard to miss, and although Aladdin
Freeman had interviewed him a while back, I couldn't resist the opportunity to talk to him
after having met him at the AmericanAirlines Arena on January 4th.
BRC: What exactly is your position with Bernard Hopkins?
BRC: I want to talk about Steve Kim's infamous "Cheat-o Tito" article. Let's start out with
what happened in Tito's dressing room. Can you tell me what happened there?
BRC: Is it true that Tito's hand was already wrapped when you got there was because you were
late getting to his dressing room?
BRC: Now, let's talk about the article itself. What was your take on it when you read it? How
did you feel about it?
BRC: What is your take on the statements that Joppy and Vargas made?
BRC: Not all reporters...
BRC: Let's talk about Tito - Hopkins. Going into the fight, Hopkins didn't have a shot...
BRC: Do you agree with me that Bernard Hopkins fought the fight of his lifetime?
BRC: Could Hopkins had done anything better? He did everything right, didn't he?
BRC: All the while Bernard spoke about brawling, and people expected him to use dirty tactics, yet
when he got in the ring that night, he was a classic boxer...
BRC: Bernard had said many times before the fight that when Tito hit him with his best shot and
realized that he wasn't going anywhere, the fight was going to be over right then and there.
I believe that is exactly what happened. Do you agree?
BRC: There was no plan B, was there?
BRC: Tell me about don Felix telling Tito that he was winning the fight. What do you think
was behind that?
BRC: Tell me about Bernard's upcoming mandatory defense against Carl Daniels?
BRC: How do you go from Tito Trinidad to Carl Daniels and stay motivated?
BRC: Tell me about Bernard Hopkins and the Puerto Rican fans?
BRC: (Interrupting) Tell me about them...
BRC: Do you think that Bernard has bridged the gap with the Puerto Rican fans? Do you think
they have forgiven him?
BRC: Tell me about the incident with the Sugar Ray Robinson trophy? I read that Bernard said
they couldn't present it to him in the ring after the fight because it had Tito's name on it...
Is that true?
BRC: In a recent press conference held here in Miami, Roy Jones Jr. was asked about Bernard.
He said that Bernard was calling out Oscar de la Hoya, and there were no R's in that name...
Assuming that Bernard wins this mandatory defense, what's the plan? Who would be your ideal
target if you had your choice?
BRC: Roy also said he wouldn't fight Bernard on HBO... Are you aware of that statement?
BRC: I believe his reasoning was that PPV would generate more money than just HBO. I have
heard Bernard say that he wants $20 million to fight Roy, so if Bernard gets $20 million, how
much do we pay Roy?
BRC: We are talking about $40 million just for the fighters. Can HBO pull that off, is that
do-able for them?
BRC: You mentioned Shane Mosley... At what weight would you fight Shane?
BRC: Let's talk about Oscar de la Hoya. He was in for a mandatory, he pulled out with an injury
that required surgery. He was in negotiations with Vargas and pulled out, now the fight is
officially on. He talks about Hopkins, he has said that everybody needs HIM, and that HE calls
the shots. What do you think about Oscar? Is he blowing smoke?
BRC: Would Oscar rather fight Bernard or a guy like Vargas?
BRC: How is your relationship with Don King now?
BRC: How long are you committed to Don King?
BRC: I recently interviewed Winky Wright and he is very interested in a possible round robin similar to
the middleweight tournament. He throws himself in the mix with Mosley, de la Hoya, Vargas, Hopkins and
Tito. Do you think he belongs in that group?
BRC: How has Bernard acted since becoming a super champion? What has the attitude been like?
BRC: Who is your pound for pound?
BRC: Before the Trinidad fight, who was it then?
BRC: Never Roy Jones? Never Trinidad?
BRC: Tell me what is like to go on the road with Bernard Hopkins?
BRC: What is it like for Bernard?
BRC: Does that make him meaner?
BRC: How much did your father enjoy the victory over Trinidad?
BRC: Well, James, I want to thank your for your time, your kindness, and your candor. I know
it's not easy to go against the tide and we have gone against the tide a bit here tonite....
BRC: Thank you, James, I appreciate that.
I am grateful to James Fisher for this interview, for having set up my visit to Bernard's
training camp, and for the opportunity to have had a few words with the champ. I may be wrong,
but I believe that my reputation as a staunch Trinidad supporter might have preceded me, and I
have a distinct feeling that James had to dig deep to get Bernard to okay my visit.
