GL: So Joe Smith, the man who knocked your boxing idol Bernard Hopkins out of the ring. Will it be difficult for you to stay disciplined and not let the emotions of what beating him means to you take over? Jesse Hart: "Absolutely, it's going to be hard because for me it's more personal. When he did that the little kid behind me was hurt by that. The little kid, the boy, that watched him beat Felix Trinidad, I mean that made Bernard my hero, I was inspired behind that especially when I knew his story. Nobody believed in him and he lost his first pro fight. That was the little boy that was inspired by him and hurt by Joe Smith when he knocked him out of the ring. I was ten years old when he beat Trinidad and I have a picture of me and Bernard holding my hand up in when I was ten years old. I had nothing back then, my dad didn't make a lot of money as a boxer, nobody was making that kind of money, fighters just started making that kind of money in this era. It's sad to say, but it's the truth, that little kid was hurt by Joe Smith and I need that revenge. I need that back and there's a chance I might lose if I fight him, I'm going in there to fight as hard as I ever fought in my life. I'm going to put the kind of pressure on Joe Smith Jr in there that he's going to feel like he's fighting for his life. It's going to be something he never experienced before, this isn't going to be a boxing match."

 

GL: While you tighten up some of the things you've previously told me you want to improve on following the Barrera fight?

 

JH: (laughs) "I'm going to be disciplined in there don't get me wrong, but this is more personal than business for me. I don't just want to knock Joe Smith out, I just want to punish him for what he did to my hero. If it goes ten or twelve rounds, I know I want to beat him up and enjoy beating him up."

 

GL: Closing thoughts.

 

JH: "This hand is going to get cleared, it's only a matter of time. I'm going to be back before the end of the year and if it's Joe Smith, he's in for the fight of his life."