Boxingtalk caught up with Contender Season 2 bronze winner Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage to get his thoughts on his homecoming fight this Friday at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center. The bout will be the Detroit native's first appearance before a home state crowd in over two years. Since that time, Bundrage has had his shares of ups and downs, losing by first round stoppage to Sechew Powell before regrouping with a successful run on the Contender and a win over welterweight Chris Smith. In his last bout, Bundrage came up short against Joel Julio. Read on to see K-9’s thoughts on his return to Detroit, who he’d like to fight next, and what motivates him to stay in the fight game at 34.

CB: I'm excited to be fighting back in Detroit, you know. I haven't fought here in a couple of years. Its good to be back home.

CB: I don't feel extra pressure because once you get in that ring ain't no getting out until after the fight. I fought all around the world, fighting at home on a local show ain't no pressure on me. I'm gonna perform and do what I gotta do regardless. I wanna be the best- you know that.

CB If they would have gave me enough time... They called me with that bull junk, knowing I'm a road dog and I'm a raw dog at that, I’m a take the fight. I shouldn't have took the fight because I only had 3 weeks of training. I wasn't even in the gym. I beat myself before I even got in the ring. I would love that rematch. He fought "K-7"; he ain't fighting "K-9".

CB: That's self-explanatory. Of course. Once I lost that fight, I prayed to God to get me bigger and better fights regardless. The next thing you know, I'm on “The Contender". It don't get no bigger than "The Contender", so far as the fame. I'm not rich yet, but I got more fame than the guys who's rich. I'm well known; I'm blessed- a lot of things on the strength of being on "The Contender". I look at a loss as a lesson. If you don't improve from it or learn from it, its not gonna take you further.

CB: I got fame out of this world. I was in California a few months ago, I was just walking up the street and the bus driver come up and said 'K-9'. That felt good because no one would know I would make it from the hood all the way to Hollywood. When I was in the United Kingdom, they knew who I was. They were screaming for 'K-9' including my bark (barks). It was just a blessing, man. Just a blessing.

CB: After Friday, I would like to fight probably one of the contenders or even a champion. I wouldn't mind fighting Alfonso Gomez. I would love to have a rematch with the guy from Colombia (Julio). I would love to fight any of these guys-Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather. I just wanna show the world I'm the best fighter out here. Now I'm prepared and I'm focused.

CB: It's business, man. If I can get in your head, that's what I'd do. My slogan is don't bark if you can't bite. A lot of guys be barking and they don't put enough bite with their fists in their ring. I give them treatment when they deserve treatment. You know, me and Walter we real good friends. I never stayed in the same house with a fighter before, fighting for a half million dollars. Tempers did blur. We good friends now. Sechew Powell-I was doing a lot of barking and I ended up getting bit in that fight. It came back to haunt me. So now, I don't really talk as much. I let my hands do the talking.

CB: People doubting me; the haters hating on me. People want to see me fall, happy if I lose a fight. That keeps me going. And not being naturally where I want to be in life right now. That really keeps me going. And being a child of God. I want people to see that no matter how far you went in school, how far you went in life, whether you got a Mom or a Daddy, whether she on drugs or not, whether they graduated, I want them to know with God all things are possible.

CB: Expect big things from me in 2008. I'm still blessed, happy. I'm back focused and serious. Watch out cause the dog is coming. K-9 reloaded. Thanks Boxingtalk for giving the time for this interview.