“From Venezuela to the world, I plan on taking over the heavyweight division”

Boxingtalk recently spoke with up and coming, former 2004 Venezuelan Olympian Wilmer Vasquez 1-0(1) as he prepared for his second bout in the paid ranks, which will take place this Friday night on the non-televised portion of the Teddy Reid- Richard Gutierrez ESPN2 Friday night fights headlined card at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville Connecticut. Vasquez finished his amateur career with an impressive 57-4(51) with 49 of those knockouts coming in the first round. Managed and promoted by legendary duo, Luis De Cubas and Roberto Duran the extremely confident Vasquez feels he is a can’t miss for stardom in the Heavyweight division. “I feel like I am in heaven. There is not a guy that has done more for the Latin fighters in the last twenty in Luis De Cubas and there is not a better fighter in Latin America than Roberto Duran. I am getting advice from two guys that are legends. There is no doubt in my mind, that is why I am so happy, that’s is why I know I am going to be world champion.” stated the Heavy handed prospect.  Read on as you don’t want to miss what else he had to say…..

RC: Wilmer, how is everything going? 
WV: I feel like a rock, I have been preparing and I feel real strong

RC: Before we get into your background, why don’t you tell us about your professional debut that only latest 1:49 in which you took on a guy (Drexie James) with 15 professional fights?
WV: Well first off I don’t ask any questions about who I am fighting or where I am fighting. I just show up and fight. That’s my management and promotional team’s job to do. I am not scared of nobody. You can fight a guy that is 1-20 and he can beat you, so my job is to just go in there and be prepared to win every single fight. I feel I left my stamp in the amateurs and now I have to leave my stamp in the pros. I have to let everybody know who Wilmer Vasquez is. I feel like I made a good statement in my next fight, and this year I am going to let everybody know I am the best Heavyweight in the world, PERIOD!

RC: Why don’t you give the people that aren’t familiar with you, a run down of your amateur career and all of your accomplishment?
WV: I am 25, I'm a three-time champion in Venezuela; I have three trophies for fastest knockouts. I have the fastest Knockouts of 5, 7 and 9 seconds. I had the fastest knockouts in the in tournaments all three years in a row. I’m a two time international champion, in the biggest international tournament, we go from Venezuela, we go to Puerto Rico to Cuba, it is the biggest international tournament out there and I am a two time champion in that. I went to Rio De Janeiro and won the championship over there in the biggest tournament they have over there. I won the South American games and the North American games, and I came in fourth place in the Olympics when I loss to (Odlanier) Solis (One of the three Cuban fighters that recently left the Cuban team to turn professional). I finished my amateur career with 57 wins, 4 losses, with 51 Knockouts and 49 of them in the first round.

RC: Have you beaten any notable professionals as an amateur?
WV: I don’t want to get in to much about the guys that I have already dismantled, because to be honest I am not a fan. I am only a fan of one guy and that is Wilmer Vasquez. There is one guy that is 11-0 and I think Panama Lewis trains him, but I am not really into other peoples career. I am into my career and a couple other fighters that are apart of the stable like Joel Casamayor.

RC: Describe your fighting style so that those who have never seen or heard of you can have an idea of what to expect?
WV: I have a little bit of everything; I have a little about Mohamed Ali, a little George Foreman, Mike Tyson, and Roberto Duran everything all combined in one guy and that’s Wilmer Vasquez.

RC: What was the transition like for you coming from the amateurs to the pro ranks?
WV: The difference between the amateurs and pro’s is that you don’t have any headgear and smaller gloves. So that is worse for my opponents. People don’t understand that in the amateurs sometimes you fight better guys than you do in your pro career because you are fighting the best from all over the world. The big difference is smaller gloves and no headgear, which is worse for my opponents.

A guy like me that has a lot of pride for my country, and I want to represent Venezuela with all of my pride. I was on the team for seven straight years and I always want to bring my best knowing that I am fighting the Cubans, the Russians, the Europeans and the Germans. Everybody out there knows how to fight when you are fighting on the Olympic team, and you can put me right up there with all of them.

RC: Who will you be fighting Friday night and what can you tell us about your opponent?
WV: To be honest with you, we re just waiting to see what the matchmaker has got for us. No one wants to fight us; three guys have pulled out when they found out who I was. One guy was my sparring partner and he wanted nothing to do with me. He said “That guy knocked me out in sparring, I am not going to go fight him in a real fight.” The guy is like 5-2, and they offered him good money and sad he wouldn’t even get in the ring for twenty grand and he knew he was only going to be in there for one round. He told me manager that they can’t pay him to get hit by him with those little gloves.

I am here to take over the division. From Venezuela to the world, I plan on taking over the heavyweight division. I don’t care who is out there. Whether it is Shannon Briggs or those little Russians, all of those guys one by one, I m going to knock them all down like dominoes.

RC: Your fight won’t be televised, but the people on hand Friday night at the Mohegan Sun, what can they expect when you step in the ring?
WV: Basically what is going to happen is what has been happening my whole life, through my amateur career, through my pro career I go in there and I knock guys out. That is what I do. If this guy makes it past the first, he is a lucky guy and he definitely won’t make it past the second. So if you want to see a knockout artist, then come see me, I am putting guys in the hospital.

I just want to let everyone know, I am some killer kind of person. I am a real nice guy, very quiet and relaxed but it is different we are in the ring, when you are in there you are trying to take mine, you are trying to take what’s my family. That’s what I fight for, for my family. So you know what? Anybody that steps in that ring is going to get knocked out period.

I want to thank God, he put me in with Santa Barbara Management and DRL Promotions that are helping me move my career in the right direction.

RC: It’s clear you don’t seem like the type to feel any pressure, but how does it feel working with two legends in the game like Roberto Duran and Luis De Cubas, who vouching for you and has ad nothing but good things to say about you?
WV:  I feel like I am in heaven. There is not a guy that has done more for the Latin fighters in the last twenty in Luis De Cubas, that’s no doubt. There is not a better fighter in Latin America than Roberto Duran. I am getting advice from two guys that are legends. There is no doubt in my mind, that is why I am so happy, that’s is why I know I am going to be world champion.

Anyone is a roughhouse kind of guy, know what time it is and guys that are macho, Roberto Duran is their idol. He is my Idol.  I still get the shivers when I realize what type of situation I am in here in America with a legend like Roberto Duran, Luis De Cubas, Dan Wise and of course my brother Luis De Cubas Jr. who has dome a lot for me and I know that with all of us working together we are gong to make it.

RC: Is there anything else you would like to add in closing?
WV: I want to thank you Ray for taking the time and putting me on Boxingtalk.com. I want to thank you for taking your time out to talk to a Venezuelan, and I wish you well in everything you do and hopefully we will talk again soon

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