Jose Aguirre: You just had a fight January 21st stopping Dillon Carew in the eighth round on a Broadway Boxing card held at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino. Give us your thoughts on how you think the fight went. "For one thing I'm glad to be working with Lou DiBella whi is my promoter now. I'm looking forward to great new beginnings for 2005 for myself and my family. Dillon Carew was a very tough guy to fight,  tough guy to beat. He did surprise me however at the end of the fight by not coming out of the corner. I didn't think he was that hurt or anything. I didn't think I did that much damage to him. The body shots that I landed were making him go "uump" and they landed. Everytime the round was over he seemed like everything was ok so I guess he's a good actor."

"Other than that me and Robert Campos have been working real hard to get stuff together. To put the punches together. To put the power in and to get the speed and everything. I'm coming here from Florida by way of Louisianna, Baton Rouge. I've worked with various people and working with Robert Campos is helping me put everything together. For the most part this fight was a very much needed fight and a very needed win coming off of that Courtney Burton fiasco. There is so much that's been happening to where you know this fight was an eye opener and a booster to me. Not to mention before that the Tomas Barrientes fight where they actually took my title from me over at the Dodge Arena.

"So they took my belt and gave it to somebody else and then on top of that they took my win from me over Courtney Burton. Everything is coming out pretty good now."

JA: Speaking of Courtney Burton he just recently fought Ebo Elder and got stopped in the twelvth round. Did you see that fight and if so what did you think about it?

EA:"No I didn't see the fight. A friend of mine called me and let me know that he was going to be fighting and I said he's going to lose the fight. My friend told me that I'm supposed to want Courtney Burton to win. I asked him why and he said because he got a W on me and if he gets another W it makes him look
good. I'm like he didn't beat me and if he beats Ebo Elder that's between them two but he didn't beat me. I understand there is a logic in boxing that there is such a thing as a good loss and a bad loss. It's better to lose to Shane Mosley than to lose to Billy Bob Thornton. I understand the concept of that but again the guy isn't good enough to put on my list of the guys that I have been beat by. In my mind I'm thinking he's going to lose. I've heard of Ebo Elder.

" I've seen him fight a little bit before. I can't really place too much of what I seen towards Ebo Elder but for the most part I automatically thought that Ebo Elder was going to win the fight. At the same time I was hoping that homeboy (Courtney Burton) would lose the fight or I wanted him to lose the fight."

JA: Is there anything that Dillon Carew did in the fight that surprised you and what did you learn from this fight?

EA:"To be honest with you the thing that surprised me is I expected him to hit harder. I weighed 143lbs he weighed 146lbs so he's a natural welterweight so I expected him to bring more power to the fight. As far as learning I'm still learning. Basicaly when you see that you have the man hurt to the body stay focused outside and inside of the ring. For the most part I'm just learning to take more and more of what my trainer Robert Campos tells me. In the past I kind of did my own little thing more or less.

"For this fight, even though it was short notice fight, we've been doing things before this fight even came into knowledge to try
to get ready for whenever anyone gave us a call. It just so happens that everything came out. We've been working on various different things. Combinations and things like that. Whatever my coach says and whatever he wants me to do I have the confidence and the conditioning to do it. For the most part I've learned
to really, really focus on what my trainer tels me to do. I've only been in Brownsville going on two years. Me and him are getting a real good repore.

JA: What can you tell us about working with DiBella Entertainment?

EA:"I didn't sign a contract up until the fight. The good thing about the contract deal is that we really haven't signed a per say fight promoters contract. It's a very unusual contract. For the most part we've been doing alot of communications up until this point since the Courtney Burton fight. We've been talking and doing alot of things. trying to put a game plan together. Remember  the Michigan Commission was supposed to suspend me and if I'm not mistaken I think he helped me get out of that. And the only reason I say it with a question mark is because the last time I spoke with the commission I'm still supposed to be getting placed on suspension. But then again you can't fight if you're on suspension right?

"That's why there's a question mark. it's a happy question mark because I'm working again. The way the things between (Lou) DiBella and myself is a trial bases. We're going to do one or two fights first to see how we look together. See how well we work together. And then I think we'll start talking serious after that which is all good by me. It's fine by me. I understand that I'm not the kind of person who can ask for a whole lot right away. People use my record or my last fight against me. I know I can't ask for much and I don't mind proving myself. Proving myself, to someone who's really willing to help me get to where I'm trying to go."

JA: Where do you go from here? What are your plans for 2005?

EA:"I really don't want to fight no million fights. I spoke to various managers and promoters and few of them have said that I need to build my record up becase I have so many loses and blah, blah, blah. I have two comebacks for that. The people that know about boxing that for the most part know me, they know what I've been through. Especially the ESPN2 commentators and people like them who know. They know what I've been through. Understand what I've been through. They can try to bring it across to other people that I am alot better than my record shows. When it comes down to fighting it's nothing for me to do. I can match anyone's skill level. The other thing is my record and the people that know me they know also know that I am a great crowd pleaser.

"Because of that my name is alot bigger. They don't use me as a minor stepping stone they use me as a major stepping stone. For example the Micky Ward and Leonard Dorin fight. The Leonard Dorin fight I lost. Mickey Ward I didn't lose. Be it as it may they got their W's and moved on to bigger and better things. Everyone is using me and my name. People know me as a hard fighter willing to get there with anybody. Can get in there with anybody and give them everything to make them bring out their best. I'm waiting on my turn to step up and make big money. Everybody has made big money off of me but me. That's the thing I don't understand. I don't want to be up here fighting until I'm eighty six years old. That's going to look bad."

JA: Despite all that what keeps you going in that ring?

EA:"Now what keeps me going is my family. My wife and our daughter are the people that keep me going now. It's not about me anymore which is the bottom line. I still try to have a little fun in the ring but at the same time I undersatand that it's business. I remember someone once told me way back when that a person would never have to work a day in their life if they enjoyed the job they had. That's how I take boxing. I don't look at boxing at a job. It's a past time that I get paid for. My focus and strength come from Robert Campos. But my foundation is from Baton Rouge, Louisianna. Frank James. He's the one that cranked it up and started it all. Anytime I go anywhere he goes with me however far I go. Frank James out of Baton Rouge, Louisianna is always going to be there with me. If not physical then in the heart."

JA: Is there anything you want to say to the boxing public around the world and on Boxingtalk.com?

EA:"Sure. Number one thanks to everybody who's ever had faith in me that have been waiting patiently for my return. Thank the people who called and wrote the commission and complained about the Courtney Burton decision. I just wish that the commission would not have messed with the people so much by
lieing to them. Having the people think that they were going to overturn the decision and when it came time to it they wouldn't. Also keep your eyes and ears open for me. If you know the promoters in your area and you want to see me fight in your area holler at them. Let them know you want me there. Just like
when you want a president. Vote for me."

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