-The new WBC Jr. Middleweight Champion Sergio Mora-
 

For the new WBC Jr. Middleweight Champion Sergio Mora proving the critics and naysayers wrong was almost as good as dethroning former champ Vernon Forrest. Much of the attention in the weeks leading up to the fight was on the co-feature and when it wasn’t, Mora kept hearing that he was in way over his head. In any case, Mora kept himself very composed and focused and in the end it paid off as he became only the second fighter to defeat Vernon Forrest.

The future for the new champion has many doors opening for him and further big fights to cement his name amongst the boxing elite. I would like to thank Sergio once again for taking the time to speak with BRC and a special thanks go to Josie Lamberth and Vanessa Ballesteros for making this interview possible. 

BRC: Hey champ, how are you doing? 

MORA: I’m doing great thanks. How are you doing?
 

BRC: I’m doing well and congratulations on your recent win over Vernon Forrest. 

MORA: Kudos to you along with the two other writers that publicly picked me to win. Somehow, someway people are trying to find a reason to hate me but I worked hard and that’s the way you have to fight Vernon because you just can’t go in and bomb him but if you got power you can do that but shit, I can’t bomb away at him because he is a great counter puncher and a veteran with many tricks. I had to rely on a lot of feints and body shots and we executed it perfectly.

BRC: As you know the fight was broadcast in Canada on the Fight Network. On the weekly boxing show that airs on TSN (Canadian ESPN) called “In This Corner With Russ Anber” they showed clips of your big win and both Russ Anber and his co-host gave you well deserved props.  

MORA: That is great. I think you need to be a boxing fan to appreciate how that fight went because when I watched it the first time I was disappointed and I said to myself that it wasn’t an exciting fight really... But I love being part of the excitement and that’s what I live for and I thought damn, there was a lot of holding on his part and the ref blaming me for hitting him behind the head when I just wanted to get something started. I let the referee know that he was holding one of my arms and it looked like I was trying to be dirty. I just wanted to get some flurries going, throw some punches and make it exciting but there is no way you can look exciting against Vernon Forrest.

BRC: Did your performance exceed your own personal expectations going into the fight? 

MORA: Umm, no. I didn’t exceed my own expectations at all but I gave myself a grade of C+ but after watching the video and seeing the things I did with my footwork and body shots I gave myself more of a solid B. Vernon was head butting me, low blows, elbowing me, holding me so the game plan was to go to the body. I’m very happy with my performance and we executed like we had hoped for. 

BRC: What in your mind did you do to offset Vernon’s offence? 

MORA: Movement and body shots. I think the movement and not giving him time to set up his punches. His last two opponents, he looked very good against because they were stationary targets, which I wasn’t. Hitting him to the body and wearing him out worked well and I hurt him every time I hit him. There were times when I became over confident and my trainer told me to calm down or I’ll get caught with something stupid. 

BRC: Do you think Vernon took you lightly? 

MORA: No, I don’t, actually. That could be up for debate but I don’t think he took me lightly as we did spar before and no matter what he said I dominated him in sparring and he knew right there and then what it was like to be in the ring with me. I don’t think he expected me to fight the way I did, he expected me to run.

BRC: When the majority decision was announced did it worry you at all it might go the other way? 

MORA: Well, it worried me, but I thought I won a unanimous decision and at worst maybe by one round and at best by two but I knew what I was doing every round; even though I gave away the early rounds because I didn’t warm up in the dressing room. It was the first fight I went into the ring cold and I didn’t know how to react so I didn’t engage with him until I felt comfortable as the rounds went on. Al Mitchell made me take off my hand wraps because he wasn’t there to witness it and there was only forty five minutes left until the fight, then Paul Williams gets a first round knockout. It was ridiculous.

BRC: Speaking of Al Mitchell, I was fortunate enough to meet and talk to him when he was in Vancouver last year when he was with his amateur protégé Nate James. A great storyteller and all around nice guy. 

MORA: I first met him in 1997 and he is a great guy.

BRC: After the post fight interviews did you and Vernon speak any further? 

MORA: No, I didn’t really want to engage too much with him because he’s the type of guy that is very confident, we both are, and both slightly arrogant guys and I can humble it down drastically but I don’t think he can because he’s too proud. He was gracious in defeat and now he’s going back to his old ways saying that that he was overweight, not prepared and blaming it on other things. Regardless if he wants a rematch or not, I am proud of what I did.

BRC: If Vernon decides he wants a rematch are you going to hold off on going back to Middleweight?

MORA: Oh yea, from now on I’m a world champion and there is a lot of action going on in the Jr. Middleweight division and there isn’t really a solid fighter there and then Sechew Powell gets knocked out on Wednesday, and I’m glad by the way, and that’s why I made a comment before about there not being much excitement in the division and if I can help stir things up then I’ll stay. I made the weight comfortably and if Vernon wants a rematch that’s great. I want all the press as well because being a champion means a great responsibility and I want to be a people’s champion and maintain that status. 

BRC: What has the last week or so been like for you since the big win? 

MORA: Oh man, a lot of media attention and interviews and the one thing that has really changed is being called champ and I’m honored and it’s a wonderful feeling and when watching ESPN Wednesday Night Fights and seeing that I’m ranked number two was really cool.

BRC: Are you going to take a bit of time off from training? 

MORA: No, I wanted to start right away but Antonio Margarito shares the same gym and he has the HBO 24/7 camera crews there right now so it’s crowded, so I’m giving him space and room, but I’ll be back in the gym by Monday.

BRC: With Floyd Mayweather retiring does that inch you a step closer to Oscar de la Hoya? 

MORA: I hope so. It’s the meal ticket for everybody but I don’t see it that way because when I turned down the Taylor fight I heard the criticism for a year; but if they offer me De La Hoya it’s a huge opportunity to fight the biggest star in boxing and prove myself against him. In addition, it’s obviously a great storyline as we both grew up a few miles a way from each other and he had the Olympics and I had the Contender so we have the recognition. I bring a lot to the table and I’m sure it would be a classy press tour and I think it’s the best fight for him but we will see how things transpire.

BRC: Going back to Vernon for a sec, you looked very fluid with your movement. Is that something that comes naturally or do you have to work at it? 

MORA: I’ve always been a boxer since my amateur days. Some people said I move a lot and then I became a stand still, aggressive fighter, maybe I was sparring with Margarito too much because I was in front of opponents,  getting hit too much, and my trainer was telling me how great I used to move so we went back to the basics and still attack, but the movement does come naturally.

BRC: I’ve heard that you might be part of the next EA Sports Fight Night videogame. Any truth to that?

MORA: We're talking about that. I spoke to the Vice President of EA Sports, he always mentioned it before but I still wasn’t big enough and with my win it’s looking good that I’ll be part of it and I will know for sure in the coming days. 

BRC: Any final comments for your fans? 

MORA: I have the “Snake Pit” it’s a forum at http://www.sergiomora.net/  and I have the most loyal fans. It’s run by a nice lady, Dianne, a fellow named Danny and a guy named Phat Carlos and I have to do something nice for the three of them. With the fallout from the Jermain Taylor fight, the cancellation of the Kassim Ouma fight and all the criticism and my various injuries,  they were with me every step of the way. They are having fun and getting the most hits now and making Dan Rafael eat crow. I ran to Wal-Mart to get some thank you cards to send out to people that supported me and this older couple came up to me and knew who I was and it was great. And to those fans, you haven’t seen the best of me yet and to the haters and critics, if I haven’t changed your mind stay tuned because I will.

 
BRC: Once again Sergio I want to thank you for your time and I look forward to doing it again.  

MORA: Thank you my man. It’s been usually the same questions in interviews but not from you. Thanks buddy.

For more information on Sergio Mora please visit: http://www.tournamentofcontenders.com/ 

Questions/Comments: westcoastboxing@yahoo.ca