This is what we talked about...

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BRC: How has don Felix Trinidad's training regime helped you in your career?

FO: He has helped me with my conditioning, my mental state of the game, the experience he brings to the table and of course, he has grand champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad. All these things put together are a motivating force in my career.

BRC: Being trained by don Felix Trinidad, Sr., has it gotten you more credibility and respect as a fighter?

FO: Believe it or not, yes, particularly as far as my country, Puerto Rico. It's a great opportunity to be with the best trainer, Trainer of the Year 2000, don Felix Trinidad. It's been great for the people in Puerto Rico to have another heavyweight, a future champion. I have gotten a lot of publicity, and great backing from my people, it's been overwhelming! Even though, back in Chicago, where I was raised they give me a little publicity, but back in Puerto Rico they give me a lot more.

BRC: There is a lot of love in Puerto Rico for the Trinidad family. Are you going to "steal" some of that love away or can you share it or what?

FO: (Laughing) We can all share it, but you know Trinidad has told me that he is only going to fight a couple of more fights. Once he hangs up his gloves, of course retiring as the best Puerto Rican champion ever, all the weight will be shifted to the heavyweights, and that's me!

BRC: How hard was your fight with the Black Rhino? Or should I say how easy?

FO: It wasn't easy. It looked easy, but of course it took a lot of hard dedication. Days, months of running, sweating, training, all put together for that evening. And thank God it all worked out well.

BRC: How do you respond to those who say that your fight against the Black Rhino was a fluke?

FO: Oh no, no way. The Rhino has been interviewed by many reporters, and of course, he has said it time and time again. The outcome of the fight was no fluke. I caught him coming in with a right hand. I am very strong. He hit me with some great punches, I give it all to him, but I just have so much heart, the will to win, the skills, the foot work, I mean, it all blended well, and he just couldn't hang. You know, with my style, I'd beat him ten out of ten. Styles definitely make fights.

BRC: Do you agree that the complexion of the Heavyweight division has changed quite a bit after the Rahman-Lewis matches?

FO: Oh yeah, it's now a wide open division. It has to be the most interesting, competitive Heavyweight division since back in the 80's. I am just blessed to be in the mix of things at the moment.

BRC: What is your take on the Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman I fight?

FO: Well, I didn't think too much of Rahman's skills, compared to Lennox Lewis' skills. But there was a little something that I did notice about Lennox. He was out filming a movie, watching his buddy and countryman Naseem Hamed get his butt kicked, and then a week and a half, two weeks before the fight, he's flying all the way to Johannesburg, South Africa. That just wasn't mixing well as far as being a world champion, a conditioned world champion. Once he got there, you could see the difference in him. He wasn't really there, mentally or physically.

BRC: Do you think that Lennox Lewis might have taken Hasim Rahman lightly?

FO: Yeah, he took Rahman VERY lightly. If you noticed, I mean, it was a very sloppy fight from the beginning. Looked like Lewis was beating Rahman pretty much all around, but, when he got tagged with the first decent right hand, you saw what happened.

BRC: Do you think that the Black Rhino, Cliff Etienne, took YOU lightly?

FO: Oh yeah, that's another good example. Well, Cliff is a very well trained fighter. I take nothing away from him. He was in good condition, unlike Lennox Lewis. The Rhino trains hard, has a superb training camp with Don Turner, (Evander Holyfield's trainer). Etienne just had no "plan B". He said he was going to execute "plan A" and run me out of the ring, and that just wasn't the case. Once he came in, and we were waiting for him to come in, I met him with my right hand, and you saw the results.

BRC: Out of the top ten ranked heavyweights, who would you like to fight next?

FO: We were negotiating to fight one of the Klitschko brothers, the one who lost to Chris Byrd. But, they didn't take the fight. So, it's still up in the air. I wouldn't mind fighting Michael Moorer or David Izon, anybody, to stay sharp. It's a matter of the promoters getting together and making the fight.

BRC: In your opinion, where in the top ten do you feel you should be rated?

FO: Realistically, I should be maybe number three, since I beat the number four Heavyweight, the Black Rhino. I didn't just beat him, I methodically broke him down and it was a superb victory for me. It should catapult me to top five in all major organizations. To answer your question, top five, but I think the number three would be more accurate.

BRC: Okay, so if you are number three, who is number one and who is number two?

FO: Of course, since Rahman pulled that upset he would be number one and the WBO champion, the Klitschko brother, I would give him number two. He is young, up and coming like myself. He's been in a lot of tough, well, I can't really say tough fights, but he has been in the spotlight a little longer than I have. Then there is John Ruiz, of course, who beat Evander Holyfield. He has proven himself to be a champion too; and after him, it's me!

BRC: How about you and Jon Ruiz fighting each other? Do you see that happening?

FO: Anything is possible, like I said before, it depends on the promoters. It's all business now if you are in the heavyweight mix. It would be a very interesting fight, two Puerto Ricans, but I'd rather fight Hasim Rahman, that would be an easier fight for me.

BRC: Do you think that you can beat Rahman?

FO: Oh yeah, I think so. I have the skills, of course the right hand. He's been knocked out the last couple of times by right hands, with Oleg Maskiev and David Tua.

BRC: Do you see yourself knocking him out or taking him the distance?

FO: Either, or. Tito Trinidad told everybody the day before I shocked the world that if I didn't knock Etienne out I was ready to go ten rounds, but that I would beat him either way.

BRC: What are your thoughts on Mike Tyson?

FO: Oh, he is a very hard puncher. Speaking of Mike, I saw him in the Classics, fighting against "Bone Crusher" Smith. Man, that guy was sooo fast! I mean it's kind of sad, people don't want to accept it, but he is not the same. He was so fast, and powerful, so energetic. I mean now, of course he still has the power but does he have the motor skills that he possessed in glory days?

BRC: Let's touch on that. Would you agree that Roy Jones doesn't seem to be the same fighter he once was? Would you agree that perhaps his skills have eroded due to inactivity?

FO: No, not really, for the simple fact that in boxing, unfortunately, fighters get motivated by big fights. His fight with Derek Harmon, who is a buddy of mine, we grew up in Chicago, that was not a big fight. It was nice little sparring session, hopefully to get Jones ready for that mega fight with Trinidad. But, I believe that Roy is still at an age where he is pretty fast and with decent power. Of course, he has demonstrated that he doesn't have the knockout power in the Light Heavyweight class, I have to acknowledge that. But I can't say that his skills have eroded, no.

BRC: Are you then saying, that Roy is the kind of fighter who rises to the competition? If he were to fight Trinidad, we would see 100% of Roy Jones?

FO: He would have to be 100%, knowing that he is fighting Trinidad, a dangerous fighter, the best P4P fighter in the world. He would have to be in the best shape. If he isn't, look what happened to Lennox Lewis, look what happened to the Black Rhino, all these big time favorites. The same thing could happen to him.

BRC: Do you have a message for your many fans?

FO: Oh yeah. I'd like to say hi to all my people from Puerto Rico, to all the people in the "caserios" where I was born, in Chicago, where I was raised and represented for the major part of my life. To all the young, up and coming "cats", you know, the kids. I'm speaking mainly to them. Keep positive and stay in school and you can be something too. There is no easy way out. There is always a hard road to success, specially if you want to live comfortable. My advise to the kids is don't wait until the last minute, life is a one time deal. You only live once and you gotta do right in order to live right.

BRC: Fres, on behalf of the readers of The Corner, I want to thank you for this interview. We wish you the best of luck in the future, and hope to talk to you again soon.