"I admire what Shane has accomplished…but its time to pass the torch"

Boxingtalk recently spoke with former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo, 27-2 with 13 KOs, who earlier this week informed us he will be facing former three division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, 43-4 with 37 KOs on February 10, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino live on HBO championship boxing. “Cintron is out of the question now and the fight came back to me, there is no one else that HBO wants so it is going to be me and Mosley” stated the Brooklyn based Puerto Rican southpaw. This will mark Collazo’s first appearance on HBO since losing his WBA strap via a very close decision to Ricky Hatton this past May. Read on as Collazo talks to us in depth about what would be his biggest test to date in Mosley.

RC: What’s going on Lou?
LC: I am just real excited that they are giving me another opportunity. I am just getting ready to go in there and do what I do best, all I have to do is go in there and perform.

RC: This is the biggest fight in your career, as far as level of opposition goes. How are you feeling about this fight?
LC: Mentally I am all ready to go dude. Right now I am just so happy to have this opportunity once again ad like I said I want to thank Shane and Oscar for giving me this opportunity. I just hope that they are ready to pass that torch.

RC: Is this fight 100% official yet, did the two of you already sign your respective contracts?
LC: They said right after the New Year the contracts should be coming to my house. So on Tuesday when I sign it will confirm everything that is being talked about. Right now Cintron is out of the question now and the fight came back to me, there is no one else that HBO wants so it is going to be Mosley and me.

RC: I would imagine that you would want this to be the best training camp you have to date, who will you bring in to help you prepare for a fighter like Mosley?
LC: Well right now we haven’t confirmed who is coming in, but right now the one name that I want is Andre Berto. He has a similar style, he is young, he is fast and he is powerful. So that is the guy that I really want to work with right now. So whoever my trainer and my team wants that is who we will bring in

RC: What does it mean to you to get an opportunity prove yourself by facing one of the best in our Era in Shane Mosley?
LC: Ooh man like I said he is pound for pound one of the best, he has been in the game for a long time. Coming up I have watched him fight, I admire what he did, but I believe that it is time for him to pass that torch and hopefully February 10th that is what’s going to happen.

RC: After loosing your title via controversial decision on HBO against Hatton, then having to take a “keep busy fight” on an non-televised undercard against a relatively unknown (Artur Atadzhanov) in Arizona, does it make you hungrier and more focused going into camp for this fight?
LC: Definitely, like you said this is the biggest fight of my career right there with the Ricky Hatton fight, and it is on come February 10th.

RC: It’s no secret that the fight you initially wanted before your name was mentioned in the Mosley mix was an all Puerto Rican showdown against WBA Welterweight Miguel Cotto who now holds your former title. As far as personal preference does it mean more to you to beat a guy of Shane’s stature with all of his accomplishments, or to beat a young undefeated world champion in Miguel Cotto and regaining your title?
LC: Ooh definitely the Mosley fight. Mosley is the bigger name right now and Cotto is a good fight too but I believe that after I beat Mosley nobody is going to be able to duck me anymore, I am going to be that dude in the welterweight division. I am just real excited and can’t wait until February.

RC: A victory over Mosley would be a great look for your standing in the Welterweight division, if all does go well against Mosley will you still look to face Cotto?
LC: I believe Cotto and me will sell out the Garden right now. He is from Puerto Rico and I am from New York and I am Puerto Rican. It will be a Puerto Rican against a New Yorican. You will have all of the people in Puerto Rico supporting Cotto and you will have the people in New York supporting me. It will just be a bigger fight after Mosley. Whatever comes comes but right now I only want to focus on Sugar Shane Mosley. I am just ready to make this happen

RC: Without going to much into your game plan, can you give us an idea of how you plan to approach this fight against Mosley strategy wise?
LC: My speed my punch output has to be high. I am going to have to review the Winky fight, I believe he has problems with Southpaws and I will also take a look at his last two fights against Vargas. Even though Vargas and I have different styles, but it is good to pick up little things that he does now and things that he did in the past. It is going to be a terrific fight that I just cant wait to happen.

RC: Give us your take on Mosley as a fighter right now at this point in his career?
LC: he is still strong, he still has his quickness but I don’t believe he is busy enough in the ring. His punch output isn’t that high. I just have to go in there and do what I do and stay busy.

RC: How do you see this fight playing out?
LC: it is probably going o go the distance, I am not going in there looking to knock him out so most likely it will be on points.

RC: We will be in contact in the weeks leading up to the fight, but is there anything you would like to say in closing for right now?
LC: for my fans that have been supporting me from day one, I am back and 2007 is our year so stay tuned.


Once again Boxingtalk.com would like to thank Collazo’s publicist Ed Rosa for making this interview possible.



 

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