Percy Crawford: Congratulations on the big win on the Mosley/Vargas re-match undercard.
Rock Allen: I appreciate it. How do you think I looked man?
PC: You looked real good. Your pops was critical on you using your jab.
RA: I’m always my worse critic. It’s always a certain way I want to look and when I don’t look that way I’m like damn! I think that everybody sees when I mess up.
PC: How would you grade your performance?
RA: I would give myself a C. I think I did average. There are a lot of things I think I should’ve done, like the jab. If you re-watch the tape, you can hear my dad screaming “use the jab!” I felt good. I don’t know why I just kept throwing one jab. They had a certain way that I wanted to look, and I think I was thinking too much. I blocked everything out. It was my first HBO pay-per-view fight and I wanted to look impressive. I was trying to impress everybody and I can’t do that. The only people I should be trying to impress are my dad, because he’s my trainer, and myself.
PC: What were some of the things you had success using during the fight?
RA: I just stayed more relaxed, which allowed me to think more. My dad said when you start throwing your combinations, you look flawless. It’s kind of hard to get your punches off when a guy is moving; and he was in retreat. This was the first fight I was able to relax and not rush my punches. I even hurt him a couple of times.
PC: At what point in the fight did you realize it was going to go to the scorecards?
RA: Honestly (laughs) I was going to still be looking for those openings throughout the four rounds. If it would’ve been 8 rounds, like it was scheduled to be, I think I would’ve stopped him in the late rounds because if you see, he was starting to get tired.
PC: You’ve been on some pretty big GBP undercards. Do you think we’ll see you again on the Barrera vs. Juarez 2 undercard?
RA: I don’t know yet. I got head-butted in the fight and I got a little cut over my eye. I’m just letting it heal. Whenever the doctor says it’s healed properly. You can’t really even see it, but it’s still a little tender. I had Shane’s plastic surgeon fill it up and he said it shouldn’t even leave a scar. I’m going to take the rest of the summer off.
PC: What did you think about Shane Mosley’s performance?
RA: Excellent man! I’m glad he got back with his pops. That shows you that a father and son team can work. To me, his performance was flawless. He looked a whole lot better than he did in the first fight. In the first fight, he looked a little gassed. He looked strong all the way through, from beginning to end. Honestly, I knew it was a matter of time before he clipped Vargas because you could see he had the energy.
PC: For someone who doesn’t know too much about you, fill them in on what you’ve accomplished as an amateur.
RA: 3 time US Nationals Champion, 1 time Jr. Olympic champion, Under 19 Nationals Champion, 2004 Olympian, and I’m currently 9-0 with 6 KO’s as a professional.
PC: What was the transition from amateur to pros like for you?
RA: To be honest with you, it wasn’t that difficult for me because me and my brother use to playbox in the living room and I could see shots from all angles without the head gear. The pros are a lot more fun. The pros are all about not taking anything or anyone for granted. It can be a 0-15 guy; anybody can luck up and have a good day in the pros. You have to be prepared for anything.
PC: Speaking of the amateurs, do you keep in touch with any of your Olympic teammates?
RA: All of the time. We’re like brothers. We lived together for almost a year. We had our fights. We had our moments when we were depressed and we cheered each other up.
PC: What are your long term goals in boxing?
RA: To be undisputed-God’s will.
PC: What fighters did you idolize growing up?
RA: When we were younger we used to watch all of the grudge fights. Zale vs. Graziano, Joe Louis, Ray Robinson, Willie Pep, Sandy Saddler – guys like that. We used to love watching that stuff in black and white because that was something new to us. I use to watch a lot of the Shane Mosley fights and Bernard Hopkins goes without saying. I’m constantly around him, so you know he was one of my favorite fighters.
PC: What keeps you motivated in the sport of boxing?
RA: Well you know I come from a family of boxers. I have my little brother, Bear, and cousins that also box.
PC: With your dad being a trainer and Bernard getting into the promotional field, once you’re finished boxing, can you see yourself doing either?
RA: I haven’t really thought about it. Um, I will definitely stay involved in boxing. I want to open my own gym, that’s actually something my dad is talking about doing now. I will definitely give back to boxing; especially here in Philadelphia.
PC: Speaking of Philadelphia, I hear you were at a charity event with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Do you want to speak on that a bit?
RA: Oh yeah man. I was with Will and Jada and Mary J. Blige. You know, Will Smith is a cool dude. He’s a generous guy. We went to a prison for young kids and when they introduced him, he just walked right down into the crowd and went to mingling with the inmates. The message they were trying to send to the young kids in prison is that it’s not over. Everybody has a talent. It’s just up to you to find that talent. It can be the smallest thing, from sweeping to painting to basketball, football or boxing. Everyone has some kind of talent, it’s just up to you to decide what it is.
PC: Thanks for your time Rock.
RA: Thank you, anytime.
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