"I’ve agreed to the fight, it is up to Gatti’s people now."

BoxingTalk:  Lovemore, congratulations on your win over Ben Rabah.  Give us your thoughts on your recent victory.
 
Lovemore N'dou:  I fought great.  I had good hand speed, and it was a fight that only people who know boxing knew I was going to win.  Some people were looking my age, they were looking at my fights with Sharmba Mitchell, Junior Witter, and Miguel Cotto and they thought I was too old, but I proved a lot of people wrong.  If I wasn’t in as great shape that I was in, it would have been a different fight.
 
BoxingTalk:  Were you surprised that you stopped him within the distance?
 
Lovemore N'dou:  No, not really.  I put a huge amount of work into preparing for this fight.  For every punch he threw, I came back and threw three or four punches of my own.
 
BoxingTalk:  With your win over Ben Rabah, you are now the new IBF junior welterweight champion.  Give us your thoughts on becoming the new champ.
 
Lovemore N'dou:  I’m a world champion now, and it gives me the opportunity to make a lot of money.  I can walk away from boxing tomorrow and still make a living, but this has been a dream come true.  Now, I want to unify the titles and become a super-champion and a living legend.

BoxingTalk:  With Ricky Hatton scheduled to face Jose Luis Castillo in June, will you wait until that fight to get back in the ring, or will you stay busy until you can face the winner of Hatton-Castillo?
 
Lovemore N'dou:  I would love to fight Hatton.  From day one though, he never had the intention of fighting me.  If he had done the right thing, then he would have vacated the belt before Ben Rabah and I fought so that I would have been crowned in the ring.  Should Castillo beat Hatton, then I would like to fight Castillo.

BoxingTalk:  You were recently in the United States on the business of getting back into the ring.  What was the outcome of those meetings?

Lovemore N’dou:  I met up with a couple promoters, Artie Pelullo wants to put me on the undercard of Hatton and Castillo to build up the fight of the winner of that fight and myself.  However, other offers have been made, like fighting Arturo Gatti at 147 in a non-title bout.  There’s also talk about me fighting Paul Malignaggi.  I was there ringside when he fought Edner Cherry a couple weeks ago, so there’s a lot of offers for me right now.

BoxingTalk:  What is the likelihood that the next time we see you in the ring it will be against Gatti?

Lovemore N’dou:  I’m looking towards Gatti.  I’ve agreed to the fight, it is up to Gatti’s people now.  It would be a great fight between two warriors who will stand toe-to-toe and exchange blows.
 
BoxingTalk:  Do you think Hatton will ever get in the ring with you?
 
Lovemore N'dou:  I believe as long as I keep winning and looking impressive, with the fans demanding the fight between Hatton and I, and eventually it will happen.  Like the saying goes, ‘You can run, but you can not hide.’  I don’t care what anyone says, Ricky Hatton in on the slide.  Look at what Collazo did to Hatton when they fought, then look at what Mosley recently did to Collazo.
 
BoxingTalk:  What would you like to say to your fans in closing?
 
Lovemore N'dou:  I would love to thank all my fans who have stayed loyal, my family, my gym, my manager, and Boxingtalk, but mostly I’d like to thank the fans.

M

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