JA: Peter Manfredo Jr. vs. Joey Spina is a done deal, let us get your thoughts on that fight? “I think the fight is going to be a big, big success in Providence and the electricity in the air that night could be like a super fight atmosphere.”

JA: Do you think that is the right fight for Peter right now in his career?

ICE: Well, I would think any fight that you are favored in is probably the right one for you and I think it is pretty safe to say Peter will be the favorite in this one.

JA: What chances do you give Joey to win the fight against Peter?

ICE: Well, you know, I don't bet on fights because anything can happen in there and you always have to assume that the unexpected could show up at any time during the course of a fight between two men but if I was to bet I would find it hard to actually bet on Joey to win the fight. I will say this, though, Joey is a very, very game kid and despite fights where he hasn't looked super sharp or whatever he always brings it as hard as he can and because of that I think it will be a very good, rough, fan friendly type of battle.

“I think in the high percentage of fights out there, though, that it is almost always a case of where the longer a fight goes the more the difference in class between two boxers becomes apparent. The cream gradually rises to the top and it's funny because I used to talk to Peter about this very thing a lot when I would go and spar with him at his gym in Rhode Island and I would tell him when he was younger and inexperienced that sooner or later his class level would sort of kick in and the longer the fights went the happier he would be about being in there and doing his thing because when two fighters are fresh and strong and motivated it is anybody's fight. It's when the two guys get settled and a little tired that the cracks will or will not appear and the better, more well schooled, more relaxed fighter will take over and in this match up I think Peter is the more well schooled, more relaxed guy.”

JA: How is training been with Mike Oliver?

ICE; Mike-Mike has been training pretty well so far but we are going to really pick it up in the next few days to make sure he is as well prepared as possible for the fight in Hartford on the 23rd. There is a lot of talent on that show but I think Mike-Mike has the type of hand speed and the style, the razzle dazzle to his game that could steal the show that night.  A lot of eyes will be on him because he is a true Hartford fighter and he has been around for so long, more than twenty years if you want to get technical about it, and people will want to naturally see the kid they have been hearing so much about for all these years.

JA: What are some of the things that you have been working on in the gym?

ICE: With a guy like Mike-Mike it's a thing where we just work on his conditioning and the sharpening up of his game.  He has so much speed and natural energy that it's my job now to kind of show him how to harness all of that and use it efficiently as opposed to just using it all out all the time. It's the pro game now and you can be exciting and energetic but you have to be intelligent as well.

JA: What’s the latest with Jose Rivera?

ICE; I am expecting an announcement to be made relatively soon on that. It looks like he has a fight almost set but I am not in a position to give any details.

JA: Are you disappointed that he hasn’t had a big fight since his big win over Alejandro Garcia on May 6th?

ICE: Very disappointed, yes. I thought for sure that we were going to end up fighting Corey Spinks in a unification fight but after some back and forth it just didn't work out.  Jose has been in the game for a long time, fought some very tough opposition, and wants the chance to see himself in a big, big fight with a high profile so he can be known to those that aren't familiar with him yet. The fight with Garcia went a ways towards doing that and he had hoped to build on that by going up against a Spinks or a Antonio Margarito. He would fight Ike Quartey in a minute, too, if the chance came up. Those are the type of guys he wants to challenge himself against now.

JA: Pito Cardona, what’s the latest with him?

ICE: Pito will finally be back in the ring on September 23 on the big show here in Hartford that will feature top area talent like Mike-Mike, Pito, Matt Remmilard, Matt Godfrey in the main event and Jason Estrada on the under card.

JA: Roy Jones Jr. came back and won against Prince Badi, give me your thoughts on the fight?

ICE: I didn't even see the fight to tell you the truth but I have heard that he looked pretty good in there. 

JA: Do you think that Roy can still win a title this late in his career?

ICE: Well, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he were to win a title of some sort of title again but I think considering who he is and the situation with his last few fights it won't be good enough for the fans or for him. I mean, he is ROY JONES JR. so winning a title, just any title, really isn't going to be good enough for the people and I assume for Roy. I mean, you would have to think when a guy has been to that mountain top and fallen off it, only getting halfway back up it isn't going to be as satisfactory as getting all the way back on top of it and kicking everybody up there down the mountain in the process.

JA: James Toney-Samuel Peter?

ICE: Just like most of his fights over the last five or six years it is a thing where it all depends on what James Toney shows up. If James ever came into this fight in great physical condition and was truly hungry with desire he could win by a wide margin despite Sam's strengths. But that's always the question that won't be answered until fight night, isn't it? What version of James Toney will we see?

JA: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Calvin Brock.

ICE: I haven't seen Calvin fight since his amateur days so I really have no idea.

JA: You will be honored on September 23rd, tell us about it.

ICE: Apparently I am being inducted into Jimmy Burchfield's "Ring Of Honor" which is very cool considering the fact that the current roster in there consists of only Marlon Starling, Vinny Paz and Mickey Ward. Jose Rivera and I will be brought in together on that night so, what can I say? It's pretty cool stuff, right?

JA: Is there nything that you would like to say in closing?

ICE: As a matter of fact, Yes!!  (laughing) You always ask me how my book is coming along and I always have an answer that basically says that I am not finished yet. I have thought about it, though, and I have decided to give myself a deadline, some sort of leeway to work on it with less pressure. So what I have decided to do is plan on finishing it by the end of November and getting it printed in time for people to buy it for their boxing fan friends as Christmas gifts. So save up your money and figure out who your best boxing fan friend is and plan to get it for him because I am secure in saying this will be the realest boxing book they will have ever read. It will have been worth the wait I believe.

M

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