GL: Can you give the fans some thoughts on how you're feeling heading into this event? "It's funny how bad things happen so good things can happen. First I look back at the Bobby Pacquiao fight and what went wrong. Now I know what a bad day is, I never knew before what a bad day was. Losing a fight is not a bad day, losing a fight when you're unable to perform is a bad day you know what I'm saying. No matter how good you are anybody can beat you on any given day. I can't explain it, but it made me want to quit because I felt that this guy shouldn't have been able to beat me on my worst day. But that was my worst day and he did beat me. When my manager called me about this fight, it was funny, because it came the day my wife was delivering our baby. To show what my mindset is and how thirsty and hungry I was, I said let's do this because Carlos Hernandez was offered to fight me before Bobby, but he turned the fight down. I kind of felt a little bit insulted because the first fight was for more money and he turned it down, but now he'll fight me for less. He must really believe that that Bobby Pacquiao fight is how I fight now. He should've remembered that before that I knocked out Ranchero Ramirez."
"Guys should be real fighters and go out and fight and I want to redeem myself what happened last time out. And to be honest with you I think Bobby lost to Carlos all day, they just didn't give him the decision. I wanted to fight Carlos first because I thought he won, but like I said he didn't want the fight."
GL: Hernandez is the kind of fighter who will keep continous pressure on you, are you ready for that pace?
Kevin Kelley: "He could do what he wants. Until he's been hit by me and sees my speed. I'm ready for war right now. I feel everything was snatched from me in one night and when you see your destiny go down the drain it motivates you. He's going to try to come at me but that doesn't mean anything if you can't fight. What's he going to do when I start landing some punches? What's he going to do when I start throwing combinations and get this jab off? Those are things he's going to have to deal with just like I'm going to have to deal with certain things. Whoever makes the better adjustments will win this fight, but I'm looking forward to a competitive battle. But I feel insulted by him so I'm taking this personally. I wanted him after he beat Pacquaio but he didn't want to fight, but he wants to fight now that he seen me on my worst day. Carlos is a former champion and he fought my boy Steve Forbes, Steve showed me the fight a few times and I went over some things with him, so I'm just looking forward to a great war. I feel real good though and I feel that this fight is a blessing and I'm going to make the most of this opportunity."
GL: Do you think this fight is going the distance?
KK: "I don't know, but I know I'm ready. I sparred with Wayne McCullough and he throws in the hundreds per round. And there's only three guys who fight like that and Carlos is not one of those guys, with this mindset that I have now, it's the same kind of mindset I have when I was coming up. I will not lose."
GL: I know you're not thinking negatively, but if things don't go your way will this be it for you?
KK: "I mean anything can happen, but the way I'm thinking right now it's like I'm going to Iraq. I can't even get past tomorrow, there's no tomorrow there's only today. He's fighting everything I got, I'm not just going in there to throw punches like he does, I'm going to use smarts and I'm going to punch with him. I got too much experience to fall for that nonsense. I'm looking to educate him and take him to school real quick. This is a styles match-up to me, he's a comer and I'm going to outsmart him. I've excelled against guys like him my whole career and I know he's got one game plan. He better come with something new if he wants to surprise me. I've seen him fight he's a warrior but he needs to think more to get me and I think he's taking this fight because he really feels that I am the fighter he saw against Bobby Pacquiao. I know he's going to go for my right side and try to wear me down with body shots, but while he's going for the body I'm going to be hitting his head."
GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
KK: "I want all of my New York people and Punch USA to know that I'm not going to let them down so they can look forward to a great performance on Thursday night. You're only a loser when you stay down and the one thing I could tell the public if I can tell them anything for kids to learn from, motivation begins when everyone else gives up on you and then you challenge yourself and at this point I'm challenging myself. Right now I'm so motivated that it's disgusting."
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