Boxingtalk caught up with Middleweight contender Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora, and got his thoughts on his upcoming fight against Kassim Ouma.  This fight is scheduled for September 15th  at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mora also talks about the brand new Contender reality show, that will debut Tuesday night on ESPN.


BT – Thanks for joining Boxingtalk Sergio.

SM – No problem Brad, thanks for having me.  I just got done with my morning workout, I'm feeling good brother.

BT – You have a huge fight coming up against Kassim Ouma, how's camp going so far?

SM – Camp is going great, I have had a traveling camp between Big Bear, Vegas, to Los Angeles, to San Diego.  I don't like staying in the same place for too long, I have been getting great sparring everywhere. I have been right on weight, and I am fit, and I feel strong.

BT – You had your reasons for turning down the Jermain Taylor fight, that's nor hear nor there, but talk about how important this fight is for you.  If you win this fight, your stock certainly rises.

SM – Definitely, a lot of people like to point the fingers at me asking why I don't do this, or why I don't do that.  This is definitely a big fight for me, if I lose this fight people are going to be like, “ahh I told you, he's over hyped, he's only a reality show fighter, he pussed out of the Jermain Taylor fight.”  It's important not only for the haters, but for me, my team, and my family, and for The Contender. I can't lose, there is no way that I can lose this fight unless it gets stolen from me.  I understand that Kassim is saying the same thing, and I feel that it's going to be a great fight for the fans, but on my part, there is no way I can lose this fight.

BT – Have you ever fought a guy like Kassim Ouma?  This guy throws like a thousand punches per round.

SM – I have trained and sparred with guys that do that, but as far as in a fight, no.  I have never fought a guy like Kassim Ouma, and I am looking forward to seeing how I will react to it. This is going to be something different that I have never seen before.

BT – I am guessing you are really working on your conditioning so that you don't gas out against this guy.

SM – Everything is important in this fight, and I also have to make him respect my power.  He might throw a hundred punches per round, but that doesn't mean he'll land a hundred punches per round, so my defense will be important to.  I have to thank my trainers for how hard they have worked to get me where I need to be.

BT – Have you worked on being mauled in the gym, because that's basically how Ouma fights, he mauls his opponents with many, many punches.

SM – Well you know what I am going to go out there and do Brad, it's no surprise.  People that know boxing know that this isn't going to be an easy for him either.

BT – Put it into your words what a win does for your career.

SM – Beating a guy that's as tough as a Kassim Ouma, someone who's a legitimate contender, a person who is a proven fighter would bring up my stock.  Some people have a problem with me being ranked number 10 right now, so a win would have me ranked even higher.  A win would make a lot of people say, “Damn, this guy is a good fighter.”  A win would open up title fights, and if you think about it, Ouma is ranked number 4 by Ring Magazine, under him is Oscar De La Hoya, so come on that's huge.  The sky is the limit with this fight, and in order to beat Ouma I have to be a warrior. After this fight and if I do my thing, I want a title whether it's Kelly Pavlik or Jermain Taylor.

BT – Ouma went the distance with Taylor, so a win over him should position you closer to getting a crack at the winner of Taylor vs Pavlik.

SM – If I beat Ouma convincingly, that should put me right up there with the top names in the division.  By beating him convincingly, I would do more than what Taylor did to him because Jermain looked like shit beating Ouma.  A win over Ouma would say that I just beat a guy that made the undisputed middleweight champion (Taylor) look like shit.  If Jermain moves up to Super Middleweight, I will go down to Jr Middleweight, or I will fight Pavlik, whatever.

BT – Let's talk about the new Contender series that kicks off tonight, have you had much involvement in that?

SM – Yes, actually I think I will be on the first episode.  I went in and sparred with some of the guys, and I got some interviews in there. I can say this, this series is a lot better than the second season, there are a lot more knockouts.  Also, they are not editing the fights, the fans will see the fights in entirety.  There are ex champions, contenders, and legitimate long shots in this series, plus they are fighting for a million dollars.

BT – What are your thoughts on Alfonso Gomez? He had a big win over Gatti, and now he has Ben Tackie coming up next.

SM – Alfonso looked great against Gatti, I expected him to win, but I didn't think he would win that convincingly.  All credit to him, he looked like a beast, and he actually looked like a legitimate contender in there.  That fight gave him credit, and it gave him some stock.  It doesn't put him at the top of his division because he's in a very tough division.  I can see him in there with a Kermit Cintron, or Chavez Jr. I give him so much credit, and the sky is the limit for him right now.  This Ben Tackie fight is no walk in the park for him, so he needs to be ready for that one too.  People like a guy like Alfonso, he's a hard worker, and he fights his ass off.  You definitely have to cheer for a guy like Alfonso.

BT – Back to you again, you're a real family type guy that has come from having nothing to having a lot.  Talk about how important it is for you to have such a tight family bond that surrounds you.

SM – It's crucial, and people can never say that the contender show is cheesy. We all can relate to something, it can get emotional with the music, and the editing, but when it comes down to it, it's home to most people because most of us have family, and we have kids.  I was able to buy a house and move my family into it.  We fight to better our situation, especially when you grow up in a family like mine, having 4 brothers and my mom by herself in a one bedroom apartment.  Now we have a nice house, we all have nice cars, it's like moving up, it's like The Jefferson's.  I just want this to continue, it's what makes me want tokeep working harder, I have a family to maintain, I have bills to pay, I have a mortgage to pay (laughs).

BT – Do you have some closing thoughts for your fans?

SM – I have a lot of my fans that come up to me asking me when I am going to fight again, well it will be in two weeks against Kassim Ouma. I am coming to win this fight, my fans need to watch this fight on HBO.  This will not be a boring fight, just watch this fight.  I ask my fans to watch this fight, because I am going to be THE event.

M

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