Manager: "At age 25 Chad Dawson is the WBC light heavyweight champion of the world, at age 25 Tarver was a crackhead"

BT: Recently Antonio Tarver went on the record at Boxingtalk.. I'm sure you've read the interview.  Do you have anything to say in response to Mr. Tarver?  Mike Pricio:Oh, you know he's a punk. He talks a lot of shit behind a camera but in person he is a bitch, he is nothing. You know, I wanna break his fuckin' kneecaps is what I'd like to do. I mean he's gonna slap me, he's gonna do this, he's gonna do that. Well I'm right here come and get me. I'll meet you... you wanna slap me, go ahead, it would be the last person you slapped, I'l tell you that. Ring fighting and street fighting are two different things.

BT: Antonio Tarver seems to be a different person these days.

MC: I don't know maybe he's not hitting the pipe no more. Ya know? Like I said Chad, at 25 is champion, Antonio at 25 was a crackhead, ya know? It is what it is.  You know what they say, once a crackhead, always a crackhead. The shit he is sayin, he must be doin some silly shit right now,  he must be smoking. He got his money he wanted, he wanted two million so we got him his two million and he said we have a fight. Chad signed his contract for $800,000 and Antonio was getting two million. Then when it came down to signing the contract, Tarver said I'm not gonna fight in Connecticut and that was it, the fight was off.

BT: So for the record that's what it was? It was a two million dollar offer to Antonio Tarver to come to Connecticut...

MC: (interrupting) He was gonna get two million dollars, Chad was gonna get $800,000 and nobody wanted the fight. Nobody wanted it except Foxwoods, he (Tarver) went all over Florida trying to sell the fight.  Chad would have went to Florida. And nobody wanted the fight... the only people who had interest was Foxwoods Casino and they gave them what he wanted. And when it came down to signing the contract Antonio Tarver said, 'No, I'm not fighting in Connecticut'. I don't know, maybe fans can jump in the ring and help Chad fight right? Chad doesn't care, he'l fight Tarver in his backyard.

BT: Do you think that this fight could be possible if it could find it's way to neutral ground?

MC: You know to be honest, I don't think Chad even cares to fight him anymore, to be honest. Antonio needs Chad, Chad don't need Antonio. Chad has the [WBC] belt and all these guys need to fight Chad to get the belt.

BT: You've been in camp with Dawson and Floyd Mayweather, Sr.  Now you are in camp Dawson with Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Tell me what you see different.?

MC: You know with Floyd it was like me, me, me with Eddie it's you, you, you. What really shocked me was when Chad won the title down in Florida, you know Floyd talked and everything about how great of a trainer he was, he went on for at least 10 minutes and never mentioned Chad at all. I mean if you're his trainer and your fighter won his title, good, but what about the kid in there that did it all?  But with Eddie, he is just a totally different attitude he is for the fighter, he has a great training ethic and him and Chad have truly hit it off. Chad is also working with a strength and conditioning coach, Axel who is probably the best in boxing.

BT: You are talking about my good friend Axel Murillo right?

MC: Yes that is him, he is the best kept secret in boxing! Let me tell you something, this guy is better than everybody out there by far.

BT: How do you feel about the condition he has Chad into tell us what you see.

MC: It's unbelievable, I'm looking at him right now he is ripped solid. You know he's looking good, feeling good he could go 25 rounds if he had to.

BT: How would you feel about a Bernard Hopkins fight at 175?

MC: I would love that. Chad would love to fight Hopkins. That would be a great fight I think it would be a good fight, I really do. I think it would be good for the fans, good for the sport. Chad would dominate that fight, I don't say that because I am bias to Chad I see what these guy's are doing and I see what Hopkins is doing.

BT: You think Chad could put it together and stop Hopkins?

MC: I think so I reallt do. That's why Hopkins won't fight Chad. He's afraid to fight him, he knows what's up. 

BT: Chad Dawson has already accepted a 40/60 split vs Tarver, Chad would love to fight Hopkins, Winky...

MC: Chad will fight anybody in the top ten period. Anybody that is ranked above him he will fight. He's not the one runnin away from opponents, opponents are running away from Chad. You know when they made a change for this fight, he was like whatever. He'l fight anybody, he'l get in the ring tomorrow with Winky Wright,, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr. anybody in his division. He will fight in there home state, he doesn't care fans don't get to him he doesn't give a shit about that.

BT: Tarver noted in his interview with Greg Leon that Chad went and spoke to him when he was recently in Connecticut and put blame of the beef on you, basically withdrawing himself from any issue. Is there any truth to that? And what exactly is the issue with you and Tarver.?

MC:  Me, personally? Nothing, I just called him out. I just said are you gonna fight Chad Dawson? Than all hell broke loose, I am a bad guy. Because all I said was, 'When are you gonna fight Chad Dawson.? Now he wants to slap me, I'm stupid, he's gonna beat me up. You know he's a tough guy in the media but he is yet to approach me face to face and lay a hand on me.  Chad never spoke to Tarver face to face or one on one so I don't know what Tarver is talking about. Hey is true that  Antonio Tarver was wearing a purple wig down on the main drag out there in Vegas?

BT: Fremont Street?

MC:  Yea, Fremont Street, is that true? Did he have high heels on? And was he wearing a purple wig? Dressed in drag? I ain't one to start no shit but that's seriously what I heard.

BT: You heard Antonio Tarver was on Fremont Street with a purple wig dressed in drag?

MC: I don't know what he's lookin for. Somebody just said that to me. I don't know if it's true or not. Ya know I'm just saying somebody said that to me and since you're in Vegas, I was asking if you knew anything about it.

BT: (LAUGHING)

MC: 'Your laughing, you must have heard about it too. Is that seriously true.?

BT: No, I live in Vegas, I'v never heard that (LAUGHING)

MC: You know, I don't know what he was looking for dressed in drag. I mean a lot of freaky things go on out there in Vegas you know?

BT: (STILL LAUGHING)

MC: Hey Jimmy, but the bottom line is he is a bitch. He won't get up and fight Chad, maybe he was up there acting like a bitch that's what bitches do! Dressin as a bitch, I don't know.

BT: So he was offered two million to fight Chad and Chad was taking $800,000 for a Connecticut fight and Tarver simply chose not to take the fight.?

MC: Exactly.

BT: So Antonio Tarver went on the record last week and told Boxingtalkers that Chad chose to fight his mandatory other than himself, However that is NOT the case.?

MC: That was not the case

BT: So Sept. 29th was offered to Tarver with two million dollars and he did not want to fight?

MC: Yes, exactly Jimmy he was offered the money he said he wanted, two million and when it came time to sign the contract, he did not want to fight in Connecticut. And that's the God's honest truth. He can make up whatever he wants but he did not want to fight Chad for the two million dollars in Connecticut. And that's the truth.

BT: Closing thoughts? 

MC: It's going to be an interesting fight you know it's a shame it wasn't the mandatory up there but I don't think he could make the weight, that's why he dropped out in my opinion. We want all these other guy's,we want Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones, Winky Wright anybody who is currently ranked above Chad step up to the plate and let's do this. You know Bernard says he is the best around well here you go Chad's ready for ya. You name the place and the time and we'l be there.

M

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