GL: Obviously things didn't go the way you were planning for against Joachim Alcine [who defated Simms via decision to capture the WBA 154-pound title].  Can you give us some thoughts on your performance and why things didn't go your way?

TS: I wasn't happy with my performance.  Coming off of my last defense with Jose Rivera, I showed pure dominance.  That's what I was attempting to do here, in the fight with Alcine.  I thought I had my way doing that, until I broke my hand in the second round.  It wasn't my hand that I broke, actually, it was my knuckle.  There's a difference between breaking your hand, and breaking your knuckle and being able to fight.  I went into my world title fight against Alejandro Garcia with two broken hands, and I knocked him out.  Going into this fight, I broke my knuckle, making it very hard to punch your opponent, especially on my dominant hand.  I feel that during that second round I did more than enough to retain my title.  At the very least, the fight should have been called a draw.  I don't feel that I lost my title to Alcine, but I know that there is some very shaky and unfair business that was done.  That is my feeling of what took place. 

GL:  Shady and unfair business, like what?

TS:  Just some very shaky business that went against Travis Simms.  I'm not going to make any excuse against Alcine, especially with one of the judges giving him basically every round.  I found that pretty absurd, but at the end of the day, I'm still the champion [in my mind].  I'm going to suck it up as a man, and just come back and show pure dominance again, just like I've done in the past, and not leave it in the judges hands.

GL:  Are you and Don King on good terms?

TS:  No, we haven't been on good terms since even before I signed with him.  There's a lot of up and down shaky business going on, and it is what it is.  I'm just trying to continue my career and get my world title back.

GL:  Although you're not on good terms, I imagine Don King is still your promoter.  Have there been any talks with him as it relates to when you're going to get back in the ring, and against who, and what are the details of your return?

TS:  I put in a call to Don King in his office last week, I didn't speak to anyone in the office.  I was able to contact Bob Goodman, who was out on surgery.  It is what it is, like I said, I'm just looking to get back in the ring as soon as possible.  I'm hoping to get another chance in the ring, by the end of this year, or the beginning of next year. 

GL:  King also promotes Cory Spinks, obviously the Spinks people would have been far more interested in unifying titles.  Do you think that since the two of you are with King, that's a makeable fight?

TS:  I think it's definitely a makeable fight, but Cory Spinks is probably looking to unify the title in the division.  At the end of the day, I'm like the fans of boxing, they want to see the true fights.  I'm ready to step up to the plate, and prove to the people that I had an off night.  I had a bad night, I've never performed like that in my entire career, as an amatuer, or as a pro.  I've never broken my knuckle in a fight as an amatuer, or as a pro.  It's something that I had to deal with during that fight.  I'm putting that behind me, and I'm looking forward to going back in there and winning my world title back, against Cory Spinks, or against any other champion. 

GL:  Would you fight Spinks in St. Louis?

TS:  I'll fight Spinks in his backyard, it doesn't make a difference.  I'm a fighter, and it doesn't matter where I'm going to fight him, I'm going to fight him.  As long as the business makes sense. 

GL:  Have your people talked to the WBA about ways to go back to becomming the mandatory challenger to Alcine, getting another crack at him?  About potential strategies you may be able to take to go that route?

TS:  We've put out some calls to the WBA, we haven't gotten responses to them as of yet.  I'm definitely looking to getting another fight with Alcine.  The two guys that Don King has fighting as a mandatory for that WBA title is ridiculous.  How can you put Jose Rivera back in a world title fight, he hasn't fought since I knocked him out.  At the end of the day I think the WBA should do the right thing, and put me right back in, to fight with Alcine.

GL:  Obviously, you're ready to fight before the end of the year.  When will the broken knuckle enable you to fight?

TS:  Thank God I didn't need any surgery on my hand.  It just requires that I rest for six weeks, amd do some light therapy to strengthen the hand back up.  That's where we're at now, in therapy on the hand.  My hand is feeling great.  I'm just looking forward to getting back in there, I'm still training, I'm still running.  If they have a shot for me, in November or December, I'm ready.  That's my focus right now, to re-invent Tremendous Travis Simms all over agin.  I'm hungry, I'm ready to take over this whole division.  I want them all. 

GL:  The fight with Alcine was your second consecutive fight on major network television.  Obviously, that's the position you've worked your whole career to get to.  With you beating Alcine, chances are, you would have been right back on Network Television.  If you re-invent Travis Simms, that means re-inventing  whoever you have to fight to get back in the position you were in, correcyt?

TS:  Absolutely, I'm not singling out one guy.  I want any guy out there that's a champion.  The same way everyone was looking at me, and wanting to land a fight with me when I was the champion.  That was the thing, I didn't do what a lot of fighters did.  I didn't duck, I didn't dodge, I accepted my mandatory.  I took on my mandatory, and I thought I beat my mandatory.  YOu take any world champion, and you have to beat them to fight them.  I don't think Alcine did that, I think they gave him a gift.  He's the champion now, but like I said, that's not going to make me veer from my path of fighting.  It's not going to prevent me from going for the championship.  I'm still a true champion, I know I'm a champion.  I didn't lose to Alcine, I lost to the politics of boxing.  I'm looking to come back, I'm looking to dominate the division and keep my quest going.  I feel that I'm still the true champion, and I'll prove that once I get my next fight, with whoever I'm in there with. 

GL:  Until your next move has some clarity we'll wrap this short.  Closing thoughts for the fans.

TS:  Thanks to all my fans, for all the support from before, during, and after the fight.  The support has been overwhelming, and I truely appreciate it.  I will be back, and I will be world champion hopefully in the near future.  Special thanks to BoxingTalk, for keeping it the realest.

M

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