Ishe's hit list: Brinkley, Manfredo and Mora!

By Ray O. Campbell Jr.

17/06/2005

Ishe's hit list: Brinkley, Manfredo and Mora!

"The Latin Snake won't slither away in the rematch!"

RC: Shay, long time no talk, many didn’t get a chance to see your fight on the under card of the Contender Finale, why don’t you give us a run down on how the fight played out? " Well for all those people that haven’t seen it, they can log onto my website www.SugarShay.com and go check it out right now. I thought we preformed well. It was a five round fight, I am definitely a ten or twelve round fighter and it showed in that fight. I thought we were breaking Anthony Bonsante down and it was just a matter of time before we knocked him out, I was punishing him."

I thought my defense was great, I thought I made him miss a lot; and I definitely counter punched him a lot. I had him in serious trouble; I thought it was an entertaining fight. I showed my professionalism in that fight, working with Joe I have grown a lot and I am just ready to fight the best fighters out there.

RC: It was probably one of the better performances of your career, what do you feel Joe added to that performance? And did you have a hard time adjusting to that style in the actual fight?
IS: In working with previous trainers, they always tried to take my style and try to get me to knock this guy out, and knock that guy out, and what Joe has brought to the table is patience. Just taking my time and you can see Anthony Bonsante tried a lot of dirty tricks in the fight and we were patient in the corner. In the fifth round I just had enough, when I went back to the corner, I said I am going to bust him up this round. Then Joe Said (In his Joe Goossen voice) “You know what? Just keep your hands up and your chin down”

RC: (I start laughing hysterically at his imitation of Joe Goossen voice)
IS: That’s how it is with Joe, I have so much confidence in what he is telling me, and he has confidence that if he tells me to do something I am going to do it. We read each others eyes and body language, and I looked at him, waited until he was finished… and I said Joe I am going to bust him up this round. It was the last round and that is what we went out and did, but I am a ten and twelve round fighter, I am not a five round fighter. But overall I thought I looked good that night.

RC: How did you manage to stay composed and not get out of hand or flip a lid when he was resorting to dirty tactics during the fight?
IS: It all comes from having a great camp and not having to worry about people being in your business 24/7. Not having to worry about people talking about you, and people being on your team and telling your business. So it all comes down to just being comfortable going in. I was very comfortable that fight, and Joe always say in the gym, don’t wrestle or tussle with anybody because it is going to burn your energy. That is what it was about that fight, what’s the use of going through the things that he was doing, I just stayed professional and it showed in the fight.,

RC: Before we get into your future and talk about what is next for you, a couple weeks ago on a website Fernando Vargas was asked how he felt about you talking smack about him and he responded that you couldn’t even win the contender, basically meaning that you aren’t in the same league as him. What are your thoughts on that?
IS: Well first of all, if you are going to make a comment like that, make sure you make it on a big time website like Boxingtlak.com. That is number one. Number two, I have always respected him. He and Danny (Smith) are a perfect fit for one another, but Fernando Vargas cannot beat me in a ten or twelve round fight. I am a true Jr. Middleweight/Middleweight. He was in there with (Raymond) Joval and he looked regular, like a guy trying to learn. I already know what to do, I am confident in my coach. My coach is waaay better than his coach, and if he wants to get it cracking we can definitely do it. We will definitely do it, and this time I will show him since he tells everybody I am a sparring partner, I am this, and I am that. I have had nothing but respect for the guy. Whenever a fighter says he wants to fight someone it should be taken as a compliment, as a warrior. Like me saying I want to fight (Kingsley) Ikeke, I said that because I only want to fight the best. So if I say I want to fight somebody, it is because I think they are good. It is not because I think it is going to be an easy fight for me. I only want to fight the best and I have proven that my whole career. I don’t think Ikeke will be an easy fight for anyone, but Fernando Vargas said I couldn’t even win the contender, but let’s put him in a five round fight, and let’s see how he would do against some of the guys out there. This guy has been dropped like ten times in his career. If he wants to fight me, he can fight me and we can make it happen. But he just needs to keep my name out of his mouth, and I won’t mention his name anymore. I am just happy that he and Danny Smith have a happy marriage and I wish them the best.

RC: So what’s next for the Sugar Man?
IS: There was a lot of stuff that happened on the show, I read here on Boxingtalk.com that they are probably going to be picking Peter (Manfredo) up, and I just received something saying that they want to pick me up. I am not too clear on everything, but I am talking to my attorney about it right now. So if that is the case, I have to go through these guys. I don’t know how many guys they are picking up, but I am pretty sure they are picking up maybe half, maybe more or maybe all of the guys. 

If that is the case, there is a group in there called the gut-less four. One of them is a coward (Jessie Brinkly); one of them isn’t really a boxer (Joey Gilbert). One of them is actually not a gutless member (Peter Manfredo); I think he has a heart and I have already destroyed one in Anthony Bonsante.

I want to fight Peter, no disrespect, but I have always said that the guys that celebrated in that ring after I lost that fight (against Sergio Mora) like they had just won the Super Bowl, they will be the ones that will pay. I am on my prowl right now. I have already made one pay so now I just have to go after the coward, the man (Jesse Brinkley)  that don’t have no heart.  I definitely have to destroy him next, because I always said that the image in my mind that I remember when they were celebrating for Sergio like they had just won the Super Bowl, it was ridiculous. I already made one pay, and I just have a couple more to make pay which is Jessie and Peter. I got a lot of respect for Peter don’t get me wrong, and I think he a great warrior but it still doesn’t mean I am not going to make him pay for that image. Sometimes when I am just sitting there day dreaming I see that image in my head of them celebrating, knowing that before they announced the decision their face was gloomy like he had lost the fight and that is because they knew he really did loose that fight.  And for them to jump in the ring and celebrate that will be an image that will stay in my mind until I make each and every last one of them pay for jumping in the ring like that.

RC: It seems to me and many might agree that you’ll be going backwards if you fight Jesse Brinkley being that he lost to someone you already beat (Alfonso Gomez), the most logical step in my opinion would be the rematch with you and Sergio and if you did take an interim match it should be a rematch between you and Alfonso Gomez to determine who fights Sergio Mora. Why go the route that you mentioned in which you would fight Jessie who lost twice on the show (Once to Sergio and Alfonso), and Peter Manfredo who also has two losses (One to Alfonso and in the finale to Sergio)?
IS: It is all about timing, I don’t think that Sergio is going to fight right away and I have to stay busy. Alfonso would be a fight to maybe to create something. Or they should make us all fight to see who fights Sergio that is a good way to go about it. I was reading rumors online that the final four was going to be on the card, and for a guy like me that lost a spilt decision to Sergio it is not fair. Because if you ask me I think I deserve the right to fight Sergio, but as a promoter I would kind of want to create some drama with the guys I am promoting and make them fight each other, and let the winner that comes out of that fight Sergio, now if I am a promoter I am thinking like that. But if I am Ishe Smith I want Sergio now. I can understand all of that if Sergio is not involved in any immediate matches.

Now if Sergio is involved and someone gets a crack at him before me, then it is a little bit of politics involved because I only lost one fight, and that was to Sergio which was very controversial. None of Sergio’s other fights were close on the show, he beat everybody. My fight was a split decision, so I would only want to be a part of something that creates intensity in getting to him. I don’t want to be a part in somebody just getting to go get right at him, because I don’t think it is fair. But I am just a fighter so I guess they are the promoters now and anything they say I gotta do and hopefully they do the right thing.

RC: Now I know you have fought on televised fights prior to taking part in the contender, but what has your post Contender life been like with all of the main stream viewing audience exposure?
IS: Being on the show was a blessing, I have always been supportive of the show. Having people recognize you, and going out to eat and getting your food comped because the manager knows who you are. It is just crazy, it is crazy how the special perks in life only happen to people that have a little bit of stardom, I wouldn’t call myself a star but just somebody knowing you and the perks you can get from that is unbelievable.

Life has been good, I can’t complain. It is a blessing everyday just having people come up to you and say “We love you on the show, we support you” and that is why I think that me and Jessie’s fight is the biggest fight right now., It is the biggest fight for Nevada because people want to see that fight. And like I said I won’t be able to rest, when I beat Sergio I still won’t feel vindicated from those guys jumping in the ring celebrating. Me beating Sergio, I would still want to fight Jessie. I don’t want to fight him because of him as a fighter or because he hasn’t proven himself, I want to fight him because he called me out in the show, he punked out and he needs to man up. He asked was I strong, was I this, and was I that so I am going to show him that. I am going to make him pay first, then I am going to make Manfredo pay and then I want to fight Sergio. And the other one I don’t even care about, I don’t even care about Joey Gilbert I don’t even want to waste my time fighting him.

RC: Is there anything else you would like to add in closing?
IS: I just want to thank everybody for supporting the show from start to end. I want to congratulate Sergio Mora on his victory. We will just have to see what happens in the next few months. I know that I am with the best people, I know they have good intentions, and that they are doing a lot for us, and I have confidence that they are going to do the right thing. We are going to make big noise in the boxing business. I don’t know what is going to happen the next couple of months, but I have confidence that they are going to make the best possible matches for us. Whether it will be fighting one another or fighting outside of the show. I definitely think that they are some matches at 154lbs that can be entertaining; I would like to fight guys like (Ricardo) Mayorga, (Fernando) Vargas and all of the guys like that. So we will just have to see what they come up with, I think that we will be able to fight those guys soon. Maybe sooner than later, I don’t know I am just happy about Boxing, happy about where my career is going, and happy about my performance last time. I couldn’t have been in a better situation; I didn’t even know that I had all of that with me. I just thank God that he placed me with a great person and a great coach like Joe. We had a perfect camp last camp, and it all came together last fight and I just want to tell all of my fans thank you.

I promise all of my fans, that after I finish with the two members of the gutless four.  I am going to make that Latin snake wish he never crawled in the ring with me. I am going to finish what I started in the fifth round, I had him so hurt in the first fight that his legs were buttery he looked like he just drank a fifth of yak. One thing for sure is he won’t have the judges there protecting him with scores like 5-0; he won’t get another chance to slither away. It is going to be all about Punishment like Hopkins did Joppy, I am going to hurt him, and when I am done they are going to call me the fighter known as Mongoose (Mongooses are known as the best snake killers in the wild). I’m going to do whatever it takes to make that fight happen.

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