RC: Daniel, Congratulations on becoming the new USBA Middleweight champion, what’s going on? And how are you feeling champ?

DE: Thanks a lot I appreciate it. I am feeling good; I caught a little cold, so I have been sick ever since I got back. As soon as I got back I had to get back to school and catch up with my school work and stuff, so it has been real frustrating really.

RC: So you haven’t had a chance to sit down, relax, and enjoy your victory?

DE: No, no time at all. I got back around midnight Saturday, then Sunday I just rested and Monday right back to school, the past few days I have been in school but I have just been tired.

RC: What was your reception like when you went back to school?

DE: ooh man it was lovely, they show me a lot of love

RC: Did you take your belt to school?

DE: I didn’t take the belt to school; they were asking me to take it. People in all of my classes were like “Man where is the belt? Where is the belt?” The school president told me that they are going to put my picture on the front of the schools’ website with my belt, and they are happy and real excited.

RC: You and Gibbs put on one hell of a show before you finally stopped him in the forth, did you expect an all out war like that?

DE: Not at all, to be honest, my game plan was to go in there and box, just to show my boxing skills. I wanted to use my jab, move around side to side, lateral movement, that was my plan. I kind of thought that since he probably watched the two (Dorian) Beaupierre fights, I thought his game plan was to do the same thing, since he thoughts that I was probably going to go out there gunning so I thought he was going to try and box as well. So I thought was going to try and beat him at the boxing game. I was prepared to go the full twelve rounds, but from round one he came out throwing those guns and he made me come out of my shell.

RC: Do you see a problem with him being able to get you to come out of your shell and lore you into a brawl?

DE: Not at all, my game plan was to still box, I still wanted to box. If you notice, if you watched the fight, I was still trying to go around the side; I still kept trying to use the jab. I kept trying to land my punches and continue moving side to side. I kept trying to do that but like I said he really wouldn’t let me do that, he kept crowding me and kept trying to put it to me so I just had to get to gunning.

RC: Is that the type of action we can expect from the Haitian Sensation from now on?

DE: It is always going to be an action packed performance from me, which is just my game, I fight that way but I am trying to be smart. I try to fight smarter not harder.

RC: And last longer in this sport...

DE: (Cutting) exactly, it is about the longevity, you can’t last long in this game fighting the type of fight that I fought. Mostly all of my fights have been like that but I realize that I am not going to last long fighting like that.

RC: What happened after the match when you had to be taken to the hospital?

DE: Pretty much my blood pressure went real high, My blood pressure hit sky high and I was throwing up so they thought it was best for me to go there, so they took me there and did a cat scan, re-checked my blood pressure and everything came back fine, then they were like “Okay your good to go” and that was it

RC: Give us your overall assessment of the fight?

DE: It was a tough fight, from the first round he started backing me up and I started pushing him. I was going forward and I got caught doing a stupid move that we trained over and over not to do. I came out to throw the combination, lifted my head and he caught me right on the chin. I felt the punch but it didn’t hurt me, I felt my legs buckle and I did the smart thing which is grab him and luckily I was able to survive. Then he did a stupid thing by pushing and shoving me and gave me some more time to recover. From then on in the second round I came out and did my thing and I was able to drop him. My plan of action in the third round was to come out and kind of gain my composure, try to sustain dominance, just box him, get my wind and get some strength back in me because those first two rounds were tiring. So that is what I tried to do the third  round but he kept bringing it some more,  in the third round I think he thought I war tired out and that kind of set up the fourth round where I was able to pin point the right hand. He started throwing that lazy jab in the fourth and I just kept going right over it with the right hand and started pin pointing and pot shotin him. The right hand was on the money.

RC: After watching the tape do you agree that if you would have thrown an uppercut or maybe even a hook to the body it would have made you life so much easier?

DE: That is true; I did throw a right uppercut in the fourth round. But I was throwing the straight punches because I felt that their game plan was me coming in throwing those wild looping punches, so I felt that they were prepared for that. So what we trained for was to throw some nice straight punches down the pipe.

RC: Now that you look back do you feel as if you made it harder for yourself in that fight?

DE: Yeah, because I mean like you said in the third I could have had him out, but in the third round I came out and….I was prepared to go twelve rounds, I didn’t think it was going to happen anyway like that, I thought it was going to go twelve rounds and even though I dropped him in the second round I was like just how I regained my composure he probably regained his composure and we are going to go the full twelve rounds, he hurt me and I hurt him and I figured it was still going to go the full twelve rounds. In…

RC: (Cutting in) I don’t mean to cut you off but after the third round you still felt that it was going to still go the distance?

DE: No after the second round I thought it was going to go twelve. In that third round I came out boxing and just trying to get my strength, get my wind back and just kind of establish the jab and my boxing technique. The fourth round was the best for me when I was able to come back out, I had my wind back I was ready. I was good and able to keep my distance, and just pop him, then I just started setting everything up all over again and I saw all the openings and everything was wide open for me and I was able to get the stoppage.

If you notice in the second round they called the doctors in and they gave him extra time to recover. I mean it was a clear set-up, they set me up sweetly for him to get the victory but to God be the glory, I was telling them Mathews 20 verse 16, It said “Those who are last, will be first and those who are first will be last. He was suppose to come in there being the favorite and he came I last, so I was definitely the opponent and I came out first.

RC: Many felt your fight was one of the better action packed fights this year on ESPN, and to my knowledge his promoter Richard Cappiello said he’d love to do it again, what are your thoughts on that?

DE: I mean as far as a rematch, I don’t think he deserves one and I don’t think we need to do it again, unless we are both champions, that is the only time we need to do it again.  As far as us cutting each other out again and cutting each other throats, no, to be honest I don’t really want to fight any more prospects coming up in the game because we are cutting each others throats, because when we get to the top there is not going to be anyone else to fight. I just want to get to the top and we both can fight each other when we get up there. If he gets up there fine, but as of right now, no, because it doesn’t make any sense. We are fighting for this little bit of money, so what is the point? It is not about pride anymore, that fight was for the pride but the pride is over with now it is about money.

RC: So in other words, no more fights for pride its show me the money?

DE: Exactly, I did my pride thing I went up there, I showcased myself. If anything he knew he had his pride on the line. It was basically his hometown, he had the crowd all over the place saying “Gibbs” and it was his promoters’ card, his pride was on the line and I was just there. I came out, I showed out and I don’t think he deserves a rematch unless like I said he is the champ and he calls me out then fine we will do it. Whenever we do it again, it should be win, loose, or draw we both come out on top.

RC: Any extra good feeling knowing that he is related to Bernard who is one of the great fighters of our era and probably helped him out a good bit with advice and training?

DE: Not at all, I mean advice is only advice. You can get advice from Jesus himself but if you don’t apply it, it doesn’t matter. Advice is only advice. As far as sparring it is the same thing, I mean I worked with De La Hoya, and I worked with him for this fight as well, do I think it really helped me? Yes and No, it is fun working with a world champion like that but that doesn’t play in my mind, it doesn’t play any benefit in my mind as far as fighting is concerned. So I don’t really think that plays a part. If he wants to feel that way that is fine but he is fooling himself. I think it is foolish of anybody who thinks ooh “I sparred Bernard Hopkins and De La Hoya so that makes me better” I don’t think so.

RC: How did it finally feel to actually win a fight after fighting to a draw in your last two outings?

DE: It felt good, it felt really good. I had made up my mind that….I knew I was going to win, because in my last two fights I hit a spiritual detour which kind of screwed me up and that is why I got those two draws. It was a wake call from God letting me know Daniel get back on track and I got my self in line, did what he asked, and he brought me this victory. And as long as I stay in line with him he is never going to allow me to get hurt or loose in a fashion that would disrupt my career or mess up my opportunity to be a good role model and save soles.

RC: Not many know, but before this fight you qualified to be a part of the Haitian Olympic team in track, now by winning the USBA title did it kind of make up for not being able to attend the Olympics because of your boxing career?

DE: Ooh yeah definitely, I feel as if I would have went of there, I don’t feel as if I would have won, but it would have felt good to be out there. By winning the belt and being in the top ten of my expertise which is boxing, I mean how many guys can say they are in the top ten, I mean only nine other guys can say that.

RC: Now by not being able to attend the games and missing out on the whole Olympic experience, did that give you any extra added motivation going into the Gibbs fight?

DE: Yes definitely, that is the whole reason why I took the fight is because the Haitian government was telling me that I will be more of an asset to my country and myself if I stick to boxing rather than try to do two things.

RC: Is a rematch with Beaupierre an option right now?

DE: No, not necessary, once again it comes down to the money. I don’t see that fight making any money, I am trying to take fights where the dollars are at, and he lost his last fight so that would be like going backwards to me. People always remember your last fight, his last fight he lost and my last fight I won so he is definitely out of the picture?

RC: So what’s next for the Haitian sensation?

DE: Right now, we are just going to go to the drawing board. We have to sit down and really plan out my career now. It is not just fighting fights and physical training it is business and making money. I am trying to capitalize on this belt, doing endorsements and doing all the different things we can to capitalize on the financial gain. We laid the foundation down, we got the USBA and are in the top ten now it is time to build the walls and put a roof on a nice crib. So that is the goal next, but we really don’t know right now we just have to sit down, figure it out and take it step by stepping

RC: A year from now where do you see yourself in this Middleweight division?

DE: I see myself fighting for a world title on my way to being world champion.

RC: Is there anything you’d like to say to all of your supporters out there?

DE: I got the USBA title and I want to dedicate it to all of the victims of hurricane Charlie and all of the single mothers out there going through the struggle.

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