GL: Before we get into any boxing questions, congrats on the birth of your son. "Thank you. I had a baby boy, the real Peter Manfredo Jr. I'm not really a junior because me and my father both have middle names. I could make this one the third I had to make him a junior. He was a healthy 7 pounds and eleven ounces, a beautiful boy, he's perfect and that's been my focus right now."

GL: Can you give us some thoughts on your June 20 performance against David Banks?

Peter Manfredo: "It was a class B performance. I didn't put a lot of work into it in the gym. I barely trained for the fight, it was like the Ted Mueller fight, I barely traine for that fight and Banks is a little bit better than Mueller and it showed. I took a lot of punches, but you get what you put in and I didn't put much into it in training and my peformance showed it. I'm just happy my B game is still good enough to beat a guy like David Banks. Obviously if I fight a guy like Alan Green or Jeff Lacy I have to bring my A game for that fight."

GL: When can we expect to see you back in the ring?

PM: "We're working on October."

GL: October 16?

PM: "I believe so. And we're looking at Alan Green and Jeff Lacy. The bottom line is we want Jeff Lacy first and if we can't get a fight with Lacy we want Green. I want to fight the best available guys in America. I would prefer Lacy because he's been a world champion and he's got a better name than Green. I know all of my fans in Providence would love to see that fight. I believe I can beat them both. I have repect for them both and they're both great fighter, but I know that if I bring my A game Alan Green and Jeff Lacy can't beat me. Green might be the bigger man but I'm definitely up for the task because I have to prove my spot in the division and that would be a great way of doing it."

GL: Some time ago Green told me that the Contender would never make that fight because they know what would happen, as to insinuate that you're not in his class. How do you feel about that?

PM: "Listen, I've seen him fight Miranda and I didn't think that was the real him. I saw the Green against Anthony Bonsante and Jerson Ravelo who was a killer. He's a big strong guy, he's got balls and he knows how to fight. But so do I and I'm used to fighting bigger guys. I'm ready to bang with him. I'm not going to dog the guy because he's a good fighter, but do I think I beat him? Definitely. It's not up to me my friend who I fight, I want to fight them all. I want to fight whoever they put in front of me."

GL: Is the plan to fight Lacy or Green in October and then move on to another title fight?

PM: "Yeah and I would want to fight someone like Mundine who I'd have a chance with. I went to London and obviously it wasn't a great performance but I hadn't even gotten started in the fight yet. I was trying to make him punch himself out and maybe I could have thrown some punches back, but the referee never gave me a warning or told me to start throwing back. I'm not afraid to fight Calzaghe, but I just want to make sure I get a fair shot. I've been watching old fights with Willie Pep, Jake LaMotta, Carmen Basilio and Tony DeMarco and these guys took beatings and then came back to win their fights. At least back in the days you had a chance, now if you get hit with five punches they stop it.

GL: Shouldn't your ultimate goal be to fight Calzaghe again to prove that the premature stoppage was the only reason we never got to see you shine against him?

PM: "Yeah, I think so. Most definitely. But first things first, right now I"m looking at Lacy or Green and I'm out to prove that I belong in the ring with the best in the world at super middleweight. I have to beat a name and the names right now are Lacy and Green."

GL: When will you have an update as to which one of them it will be?

PM: "Probably late August. I'm headed to train with Freddie in September for a fight in October. Lacy would be the top guy we're looking at and Green would be the number two guy we're looking at."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

PM: "I want to thank all of my fans for their support. I got the win in my last fight, it wasn't my best showing but at least it was an exciting fight. I'll be back in October and you'll see the best of me."

M

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