“Whoever, whenever, I just want to fight the best guys out there!”

Boxingtalk.com recently spoke with cruiserweight Shaun George, who informed us that as this goes to print they are working on a late February/Early March return on ESPN. In this one on one, George talks about his first career loss to undefeated contender Matt Godfrey, his plans for 2007 and as always reiterates his willingness to fight anyone anytime. In addition, after having to deal with his uncle, in the opposing corner in his comeback bout against John Douglas, George (13-1-2) gives us his insight on how he feels it will affect both Mayweather Jr. & Sr. who will be on opposite ends of the ring when Little Floyd takes on Oscar De La Hoya, who of course is trained by Big Floyd.

RC: What’s going on Shaun? You recently fought am couple weeks ago and scored a first round KO tell us about that performance
SG: It was a good fight, I did what I needed to do, and I basically did what I had to do. Which is what I am supposed to do with a guy like that in there, I got him out of there really early.

RC: When can we expect to see you back in action?
SG: Late February, Early March. We are trying to get this ESPN date for a title fight, but not is certain yet.

RC: What title and who will be against?
SG: I am going for that NABO title, that is the fight we are trying go get. I don’t like to call out names anymore because most guys are ducking and dodging but that is the fight I really want. I want to start winning back my titles. I want to go back after my NABA title in the future as well.  I am just trying to get back into the action and keep myself busy. I want to fight like every other month.

RC:  Most prospects after suffering their first career loss, like you did against Matt Godfrey, usually disappear for a while and come back many months later. In your case you only took off four months. Did you feel you had something to prove by coming back so soon?
SG: Well because boxing is so hard to come back in. If you loose a game in Basketball or you loose a game in Baseball you have the next day to get that win back. Boxing is the only sport you have to wait three or four months to fight. My thing was, it was something that happened and it was over. I was fighting like every nine months up until that point, so my whole thing was I wanted to get back into the ring and reestablish myself, I was ranked number fifteen in the world at that time.  That was a major setback for me. So I just want to…I want to be number. In order for me to be number one, I have to keep fighting. I have to stay busy, I have to fight the top guys in my division and I am very willing to do that. I don’t duck and doge anybody.

RC: What was your confidence like gong into the bout against John Douglas, which was your first fight bout after your setback to Matt Godfrey?
SG: My confidence was up there, I never doubted myself even after the loss. You got to understand these last few months I have been through a lot of different things. When I was fighting John Douglas, my uncle was in his corner. So I had to get over that, my uncle being in his corner as like a whole other obstacle for me. I just wanted to establish myself and I was trying to look for the knockout but I couldn’t get it, but it happens.

RC: Do you feel that your uncle being in his corner and it on your mind prevented you from getting the knockout you wanted?
SG: Not really, what happened was, my uncle was in my corner when I got that draw in my second pro fight. That bothered me so I felt I had to prove a point. You see there were three obstacles I had to get over. One: is actually beating my uncle. Two: fighting in front of Teddy Atlas, and Three: fighting in front of my fans. Every time I fought in New York I didn’t give my best performance. Then my when I saw my uncle it made me nervous, I was shocked he was in the corner the first time around, but I had to challenge myself and say you know what let me go in there and handle my business and get this win. So that is what a lot of it was about.

RC: Are you and your uncle on god terms? I mean how did he end up in your opponents’ corner?
SG: I don’t know why he did that. When I see him I speak to him and say how are you doing, and that’s it. But I don’t know why to be honest with you; I can’t give you a good reason.

RC: Did you know going into that fight knowing he was going to be in the guys corner? Or was it like when you were receiving the instructions from the ref, you look up and there was your uncle?
SG: I knew he was going to be in the corner I knew he trains John Douglas, so I didn’t really care about it. When I found out I was fighting John Douglas, I figured he was going to be in the corner.

RC: Who is your uncle by the way?
SG: Lennox Blackmoore (Trained Vivian Harris & Wayne Braithwaite)

RC: I didn’t know that…
SG: A lot of people don’t know that. Yeah, he use to train me when I was younger.

RC: Did the two of you speak after the fight?
SG: I told him good fight, I see him at Gleason’s gym everyday and I say wassup to him. It is like Hi and Bye pretty much. It’s not one of those types of relationship that we hang out after that fight or after family gatherings and stuff like that.

RC: Before we move on, let me get your take on this since you have experienced this firsthand. How do you think it is going to affect Floyd Mayweather going up against his Father’s fighter in Oscar De La Hoya, and vice versa?
SG: I don’t know it is a funny thing. I think Floyd Mayweather is about his business, I don’t think that is going to affect him at all. I think he is going to try and prove his Dad wrong.

RC: How about it affecting Floyd Sr.?
SG: I think that is going to be a problem. Lets say it just so happen that Oscar De La Hoya is beating up on Floyd Mayweather Jr., I think that his Dad may feel a way about it. I mean why wouldn’t he? That’s your son, I don’t care how much you are not talking to him and how much bad blood is gong on, you cant stand there and watch your son get beat up from someone you are training. I just don’t see that, I don’t care how much you beat up your son at the time. I just can’t see that.

RC: Since your loss to Godfrey, you have basically taken two get your feet wet kind of fights. If the title fight doesn’t come through for you, can we expect to see you in there with someone as comparable in your next bout?
SG: If you remember my interviews in the past, I also told you guys that I wanted to fight the biggest fights.

RC: I do remember, you were like 9-0 calling out guys like Wayne Braithwaite.
SG: And I still feel that way, it is whoever whenever. I still feel that way, my whole thing now is I have to crawl before I walk and I have to stay busy. I am not going to sit around and wait for these guys, because when I do that it is making me rusty. So I want to stay busy, so whoever whenever. I want to fight the best guys out there. If the best guys don’t want to fight me I will fight the next best guy and move along. But I will be fighting in February or March that is a guarantee.

RC: Will it definitely be on ESPN?
SG: Hopefully. You know how television is. If you are not fighting certain guys they are not going to televise it. So hopefully they will approve, I think they will. It sounds good on that side, so we will see.

RC: You are promoted by Hall of Fame promotions, which is headed by Donna Brooks, but your last fight took place on a DiBella Entertainment card. Do you guys have some sort of agreement with DiBella that if you need a keep busy fight, he can put you on a Broadway boxing card just to stay busy?
SG: I don’t know, my promoter Donna Brooks just asked DiBella if I can fight on his card and he said “Yes”. I love to fight in New York; I didn’t fight in New York in long time, almost three years prior to that fight. I want to keep fighting in New York and build a crowd up. That is where I am from, and where I was born. DiBella is a good guy, he team was real good to me, and treated me well.

RC: You mentioned earlier that you would like to get back your titles (NABA & IBA), by years end, where do you see yourself fitting in the cruiserweight scene?
SG: By the end of this year, I want to see myself as the number one contender. I am trying to put pressure on everyone in my division. I want to be number one. Going into 2008 I want to be getting ready for a title fight. I am not into the politics of the sport right now. My only job right now is to fight. I let my manager, and my promoter take care of everything else.

RC: Is there anything in particular you would like to add?
SG: I just want these guys to know I am getting better, when you are not hearing about me and everybody don’t know what I am up to, I am in the gym training. I am so focused on my focus right now. So anybody that wants it can get it at anytime I am always in the gym training.

RC: Just knowing the type of person you are, I know that eventually you’d like o get yourself to a point to where you can get a rematch with Matt Godfrey down the line, what do you think the possibilities of that rematch actually taking place are?
SG: I think it is really good. I think Matt Godfrey is going to have a great year. I don’t see him loosing anytime soon, and I know I am not going to loose anytime soon. So when it all comes done to it, I am already looking forward to our trilogy.

RC: What’s the biggest thing you would say you learned, in loosing to him in that fight?
SG: What I really learned? It comes down to… it just humbled me. When I say humbled me, I mean like I feel like I am at the bottom. I feel like I am starting all over again. You see who all your friends and who really believes in you. I am very humbled by it to be honest with you. I learned a lot from that fight, but that’s the main thing and I am about my business right now. Now all I want to do is fight, my whole objective right now in boxing is to just fight. Trust me when I tell you this Ray, everything else really doesn’t matter to me right now. I don’t care about what reporters are saying, I don’t care about what people are saying behind my back. The loss to matt Godfrey made me hungrier, and more focused. So like I said who ever, whenever and however they want to do it. If they want to bang it out, we bang it out. If they want to fight, we could fight, if they want to box we can do that too. So that’s what it is.

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