QUESTION: Have you found out who you will be fighting on the Vitali Klitschko-Danny Williams undercard on December 11th?

FAMOSO: Yes, the name that surfaced for me is Juan Carlos "Ranchero" Ramirez. It's a good fight for the fans and for us. It's a good match-up, because he's a brawler and so am I. I think more then anything that the fans will win.

QUESTION: For a fighter like Ramirez, who comes right at you, is there any special preparation you can do for that?

FAMOSO: Yeah, he comes right at you, winging it. I'm trying to work on my basics. When I lost to Erik Morales, that's how he beat me was with basic stuff, just basics. He has a great school of Boxing and he uses it and it works for him. That's how you learn in this business is fighting great fighters like Morales. I plan to use that experience against "Ranchero" Ramirez.

QUESTION: How long have you been back in the United States?

FAMOSO: Four days.

QUESTION: When did HBO call and let you know you would be fighting on the Klitschko-Williams undercard?

FAMOSO: They called me a week ago, but it was up in the air. I was in El Salvador, ready to do a fight over there. But, I thought about it, and realized that there is nothing to think about. I would rather fight on HBO, and get the exposure, and if they're calling me and wanting me on the show, then how can I refuse. It's an opportunity of a lifetime, thank God that I was chosen.

QUESTION: How has training been for you so far?

FAMOSO: I was training in El Salvador, I wasn't doing anything special, just mainly running. But, coming here (Los Angeles) with my new trainer Rudy Hernandez, I feel so sore, and if I am feeling sore, then I am doing something right.

QUESTION: Are you excited to be fighting your first fight after losing on a big undercard on HBO?

FAMOSO: Yeah, I am so excited, even after a loss I am getting brought back on HBO. That's a blessing, and all I can do is thank God, thank the senior VP of HBO for asking for me to be on HBO, and letting me do my thing on international television. To me this is an accomplishment, and it's been a great learning experience in fighting the very best. I fought two of the top five pound for pound guys in the world in my opinion, in Floyd Mayweather and Erik Morales. I think there's no shame in losing the way that I lost. I lost to two of the best guys in my weight division, and I think that I have proven myself that I am a gutsy kind of fighter. But, I don't want to be known as a guy who fought the very best, but came up short against them. I want to cross that line and say I've beat those top guys.

QUESTION: Let's say that 50 years from now somebody asks you to show one fight from your career to people that never saw you fight, which fight would you choose?

FAMOSO: I think the Morales fight, or the fight when I won the title against David Santos. In those two fights, I showed determination, even though I lost in the Morales fight, I didn't give up. I want people to remember me as a fighter who always persevered and never wanted to give up on his dream, and as a fighter who is always going forward, because that's my style, always going forward.

QUESTION: What are your main goals right now as a fighter?

FAMOSO: To win another world title. If I have to move up to do it I would, whatever would be best for me I will go through with it. If I have to move up to fight the best fighters in the world and it's a good for my career, then definitely I would move up. I think for now, Top Rank is wanting me to fight Jesus Chavez in the future, which I think would be a tremendous battle. The type of fight that people are waiting for, especially in the Latin community there waiting for a fight in which you have two brawlers who never give up. Hopefully that fight could be for a world title.

QUESTION: How crazy did it get in El Salvador when you won your first world title over David Santos?

FAMOSO: They went pretty crazy. They told me a few days ago that they were letting fireworks off, and they were just celebrating. When we got back we had a limo waiting for us, which there's only like what two limos in the country (laughs), and they were driving me around me everywhere. We really got the red carpet treatment, and even got to meet the President. I always get good treatment when I am in El Salvador, but it's not like a mob scene, you just feel the respect and happiness from the people. They don't say congratulations, they say thank you. That's something nice when your countrymen can just say thank you for lifting our flag and our spirit up.

QUESTION: Who do you like in the Winky Wright-Shane Mosley fight?

FAMOSO: That's tough, a lot of people are picking Winky Wright again, but that's not easy to do. Shane Mosley has always been one of my favorite fighters, and he still is. He has a tremendous work ethic, and he trains so hard, and I think he will do the same for this fight. Although Winky may have his number like Vernon Forrest. But, things can change. Winky Wright is a great fighter, he's a southpaw, he's very tricky and always going forward on wanting to win. To me it's a pick-em fight, I can't just choose one to win. Like Sharmba Mitchell-Kostya Tszyu, I thought Sharmba would win for sure, and look what happened. You just never know in this sport, and that's the beauty of this sport, you just never know.

QUESTION: If you could change one thing about Boxing, inside or outside of the ring, what would it be?

FAMOSO: Wow, that's a good question. Maybe the dishonesty in the sport. If in this sport there could be more honest people who really do care about fighters and their well being. Because there are some promoters and matchmakers out there, and I'm not saying mine, but others that I have seen in the past that just use fighters from down south. That bring them over, and then rip them off. I'm talking about these smaller promotions, maybe big promotions as well, but I'm not mentioning any names. I've seen it happen to them and to me as well in the past. I've seen the dishonesty in matchmakers in the middle of my career. Although I have to say that my current matchmaker Bruce Trampler, has done a tremendous job, and I think that he would be a great role model for matchmakers in this sport.

11-18-2004