Junior welterweight Mike
Arnaoutis has followed long path to fighting for the
WBO title. He was discovered as an amateur in Greece
and has since made a lot of noise in the U.S.
Mike became a legend
on the ShoBox series, and still holds the record for
the most appearances on the show. He also holds the
record for the most consecutive appearances on the
show with four. He is one of the more exciting young
fighters today, and on November 17th he will be
fighting Ricardo Torres for the WBO junior
welterweight title on the undercard of the
Pacquiao-Morales card. Arnaoutis and his manager
Mike Michael took some time recently to talk with me
and here's what they had to say.
BRC: Are you expecting the same Ricardo Torres that
we all saw against Miguel Cotto, in other words, a
brawling, pressuring Torres?
ARNAOUTIS: Whatever he brings into the ring, I will
counter and I will win.
BRC: What fight do you feel was your breakthrough
fight?
ARNAOUTIS: My fight with Jesse Feliciano, that's
when many stood up and took notice. (Arnaoutis
knocked out Feliciano in the first round).
BRC: How does it feel fighting
for a world title on a major Pay per view card on a
huge stage?
ARNAOUTIS: I'm excited and I know the significance
of the event. But, I'm just focused on what I got to
go out and do.
BRC: What do you feel is your best asset as a
fighter?
ARNAOUTIS: My counter-punching
BRC: If Torres does brawl, are you looking to brawl
with him or stay outside and box?
ARNAOUTIS: Everyone knows how I fight and to fight a
fighter like Torres you need patience to execute and
calculate your game plan, which I will do to win the
fight.
BRC: How excited were you when this fight was
changed from a mandatory to a title fight?
ARNAOUTIS: I'm thrilled and it's the chance of a
lifetime. I would like to thank Cestus management
for making this happen, and for making my lifetime
dream come true.
BRC: What got you started in boxing in Greece?
ARNAOUTIS: I first got into Boxing when I saw
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fight. Once you see
fights like that you either become a Boxer or a fan.
I knew then that I would have to leave Greece if I
was going to succeed in the business.
BRC: What fighters did you admire growing up or
currently?
ARNAOUTIS: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Lennox Lewis,
and I also liked Nigel Benn a lot.
BRC: What would your dream fight be?
ARNAOUTIS: I've trained hard and I just want to
fight whoever is on top. I want to fight the best.
BRC: How did ShoBox help your career, and how was it
fighting on the network four times?
ARNAOUTIS: When I first got to that stage in my
career, I felt a bit nervous and anxious. But, once
I got to that stage and people started to support me
I felt better. I then feel I took off from that
point.
BRC: What were some of your biggest adjustments or
changes in moving to the United States?
ARNAOUTIS: It was a huge step for me. I had to leave
my mother, father, and the rest of my family.
Fortunately I met Mike, who's been like a father
figure to me, and I can never forget that.
BRC: If you could change one thing about Boxing,
inside or outside of the ring, what would it be?
ARNAOUTIS: (Laughs) I'd like to be able to get more
lucky with the ring card girls.
I would like to thank Arnaoutis' manager Mike
Michael for translating and making this interview
possible.
