By Ryan Songalia

For 2000 Dominican Olympian Jerson Ravelo, it's about getting back in there and showing the world what he's got. Ravelo got that opportunity on Sept. 18, when in front of a lively crowd in Providence, Rhode Island, he squared off with the highly regarded Allan Green. After a disappointing 8th round stoppage, Ravelo is looking to pick up where he left off. With trainer Nettles Nasser in tow, the Newark, NJ resident plans to do things the right way, the only way they seem possible. I sat down with Jerson for a candid and open conversation about the status of his career and future prospects.

BoxingScene.com: What's the latest word Jerson?

Jerson Ravelo: "Well now I'm off the December 18th card, just because it doesn't make any sense for me to fight out here and so soon after my hand was broken in my last fight. I spoke to my manager and he feels it's a good opportunity to fight out here, but now it's not the proper time, and I agree with him."

BoxingScene.com: "You injured your hand against Allan Green in your last fight. You've had recurring hand problems with your right and coming back so soon from such a chronic injury can risk permanent damage. Are you at all worried about returning to the ring so soon after a fight in which you were stopped and suffered a hand injury?

Ravelo: "I'm ready, I'm ready. No, because that fight didn't really take much out of me. I looked that way because whatever was out of me was out of me before the fight. Whatever went wrong went wrong. I don't even mention that shit to nobody because that's making an excuse. But I know that I'm ready to fight. As soon as they call me for that fight, I'm going to say hell yeah I'll fight. So the hand is not healed completely, but fuck it. I think it'll be even better for me to fight with my hand, not knowing if it's 100 percent because then I'll have to use both my hands."

BoxingScene.com: You were hyped for the Allan Green fight. You had a great training camp, you were working with Nettles down in Florida, you were ready and had all your people supporting you in there. What went wrong that was supposed to go right?

Ravelo: "I went wrong, it was nothing that Green did. Green's a good fighter, but he's just a regular good fighter. He ain't nothing special. I got to blame myself for that. I can't blame my coach because he did a good job. He was telling me the right things to do in the corner and I wasn't doing them. We had a great training camp, good sparring partners. I wouldn't even call them sparring partners because they are world class fighters. I sparred with Rubin Williams, Cory Johnson, Prince Badi Ajamu. Everything went great, these guys told me I was going to run through these guys. I know that's how it was supposed to be, everybody in the camp knew that's how it was supposed to be, Allan Green's people know that's how it was supposed to be. It just didn't happen that night. They knew that Allan Green was in for a fight, I just didn't bring it that night."

BoxingScene.com: You got yourself into great shape for this fight, you had a good training camp in Florida. Why did your conditioning not hold up in the fight?

Ravelo: "He wasn't even throwing any body punches. He was holding most of the fight and I was the one getting loose and try to work the body. It wasn't nothing that he did. Like he said, no excuses I just didn't do what I was supposed to."

BoxingScene.com: In what round do you recall that you hurt your hand?

Ravelo: "I can't even recall it now. My hand started hurting, but I can't recall what round it happened in. I know one time I believe I hit him in the side of the head. That also has to do with the gloves. When I got fitted with the gloves in the dressing room, they didn't fit me properly. Instead of switching them, I said they were good. I went through so much shit just to put them in. It was just the way it fit. Everything that night was messed up."

BoxingScene.com: There were many people who thought you were going to win the fight. I know that you whole-heartedly believed you were going to win. Were you disappointed about what happened?

Ravelo: "I was disappointed, but I was not doubting myself. If I knew I was 100 percent the night of the fight, and I had lost to Green knowing that I'm not supposed to lose to him, I still wouldn't be picking up phone calls. I know that something went wrong, Jerson Ravelo didn't show up to that fight. I can't be down on myself. If the real Jerson Ravelo showed up, I would've destroyed Allan Green. If Jerson Jerson showed up and I lost, I would've been like 'man, I need to give this up'. I don't think Green is championship material. I think he's good and everything, but when you pair him against Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler, I don't see him doing anything. If I was 100 percent and lost, knowing this guy can't beat the world champions, that would've said to me 'I'm never going to be world champion.' But I know I can beat Allan Green, I know I can beat Joe , I know I can beat Mikkel, and I know I can beat Jeff Lacy. I know what I have to give. Like I said, the better fighter just had the bad fight. I'm going to meet him down the line, even though he doesn't want to fight me again. Allan Green knows that the fighter he fought was not the guy he was studying in them tapes.

BoxingScene.com: Your whole life you have been successful. You were an amateur champion, still possess a good record. But at this stage, with you not being ranked with the Calzaghes or Kesslers, do you view yourself as the underdog now. That at this stage nobody is giving you the attention and that you have to prove yourself?

Ravelo: "I don't have to prove myself because I've done alot to prove myself already. I was one of the top amateur fighters, I went to the Olympics, I won nationals, I was the first Olympian to reach double digit wins. I don't need to prove myself to anyone. What I need to do is prove myself to me. I'm doing this for me and my family. In the process of me doing this for me and my family, I'm also showing what I'm about to the fans and the world."

BoxingScene.com: You wanted to fight on the December 19 Joan Guzman card in Dominican Republic, but those plans have fallen through. What advice have you been getting from those close to you about whether or not it's wise for you to get in the ring so soon after breaking your right hand again and getting stopped in your last fight?

Ravelo: "It's not like I'm making the decision on my own. The doctor is the one who told me that I'd be ready to fight on that date. I didn't make this decision without speaking to the doctor. The first thing I did was call the doctor and he said I should have no problem. By that time, I'm supposed to be punching a week and a half before the fight. I'm throwing the punches anyways, not in anyone's face though. You can hurt your hands punching the bags and sparring. I asked him what the chances were that I re-break my hand and he said '20 percent.' Twenty percent is basically like when your hand is good."

BoxingScene.com: I hear you haven't been throwing the right hand at the bag in the gym. What's good with that?

Ravelo: "I've been tapping, not hitting it really hard yet."

BoxingScene.com: Have you spoken with any of your friends in the fight business since the loss, has anybody tried to call you and see how you're doing?

Ravelo: "I've had several people. The first thing that they told me when they called me was 'What happened? You don't fight that way'. Then I have to try to explain to people that I just had a bad night. People have been calling me and telling me that I fought in a way that they never seen me fight before."

BoxingScene.com: In the Green fight, you were stopped with thirty seconds left. You were hurt, but there was only half a minute left. Do you think you could have finished the fight?

Ravelo: "Yeah, I could've finished the fight. He knocked me down, he caught me with a clean shot. I got up and then my mistake, I got hurt and tried to be macho and come back and take somebody's head off. I placed myself in front of his right hand. He caught me. I was not going down, my knees buckled. When my knees buckled, the ref stepped in between and he almost knocked me down. Yeah, I lost the fight and I can deal with it. Just getting stopped, that to me was like 'what the hell.' Even though I lost, I would've rathered finished the fight on my feet."

BoxingScene.com: When you're walking back to the dressing room after the fight, what was running through your mind? Was it anger at the referee, were you thinking about what you're going to do next?

Ravelo: "I didn't really think anything. I was disappointed I had just lost the fight. Then I had to look at everyone in the face who knew I was supposed to win this fight, and then knowing that I lost the fight. Like Harold Lederman, who drove out there. He told me when I seen him in Vegas at the Barrera-Juarez fight. He told me he was going to drive out there to see the fight because he said I'm one of his favorite fighters. That to me is like amazing because he's seen all these fighters over the years. He said he knew I was going to beat Green. Then seeing him after the fight, I apologized to him. Looking at the faces of people who knew I was supposed to win the fight after I lost, that was hard for me."

BoxingScene.com: One thing that stood out to me was that there was unanimous silence whenever you got hurt. Nobody was cheering when you were under fire, it was a definitely pro-Ravelo crowd. How did the support of your friends and family help you, when they didn't turn on you.

Ravelo: "I got a lot of support. I've known that I have alot of people that like me, but after this fight, that's when I knew what its like. Alot of the reporters went to see me at the hospital. They were out there waiting in the waiting room for two hours. There was probably like 10 people waiting there."

BoxingScene.com: In the pre-fight promos for the fight, you were portrayed as the opponent in the montages. How did that make you feel?

Ravelo: "I was kinda upset at the way they portrayed me coming into the fight, ESPN. I wasn't the only one. I received so many phone calls from people saying 'why would they do that?' They put Allan Green's fights when he got his little knockouts. My fight, they put the fight when I got dropped by David Lopez. They didn't put when I got up and walked to the corner. Automatically, people assume that I just got knocked out and I'm coming in to lose the fight. What can I say? Even coming out. I always come out to merengue because I'm Dominican. They put his song for me to come out to. I stopped and was like 'I'm not coming out to that.' They were like 'You have to come out because this is ESPN.' I came out there and I was pissed off because in the entrance I see the monitors and they put the David Lopez fight and I couldn't believe it. Whatever, man."

BoxingScene.com: Do you think your promoters will hang in there and wait it out with you if you need to face lesser opposition to rebuild yourself?

Ravelo: "I know that they'll definitely wait. I don't think I'm too far off from fighting for a title. I feel like I do need rounds, maybe to go ten rounds. I think my promoters will move me the right way, I just need rounds. Once I get rounds, they can throw me in there with anybody."

BoxingScene.com: How many fights do you think you will need before you are ready to fight somebody we all know?

BoxingScene.com: How does this situation after losing on tv to Green compare with the period following the loss to David Lopez?

Ravelo: "In the Lopez fight, thats the fight that turned my career around. Before I fought Lopez, I didn't want to fight anymore. I was done with it. I fought the fight just because I needed the money. Going into the fight, my mental thinking was off. I was thinking if I lose this fight, that's it. My confidence wasn't there. When I lost this fight, it was a complete turnaround. I was like 'man, I can't believe I lost to this guy.' When I came back to the gym, I was like 'I want to fight again.' But before that I didn't even want to fight, so it was a good thing.

The Green fight, that's the first fight that I consider I lost. The Lopez fight, even though it was a loss it was a win to me. Had I won that fight, I would've been feeling the same way. The Green fight was my first loss. I didn't get down in that fight though. If he beat the real Jerson, I would've been down on myself. I know and he knows that he got by that day."

How has Nettles been working for you? I've been in the gym with you two and I can see he works hard getting his fighters in shape. How has he positively affected you?

Ravelo: "He's a good trainer. He teaches the right things. He tells you what to do. He motivates his fighters. I know he don't get alot of credit because he's young. I think he's one of the better coaches out there. And I've had alot of coaches."

BoxingScene.com: Say in your next fight, you land a right hand like you landed against Donnell Wiggins, only instead of your man falling down, you break your right hand. Is that a concern?

Ravelo: "It's always a concern, even if I didn't break my hand. Punchers always have problems with their hands. I know when I land a solid shot on anybody, they feel it. Anybody who can punch has a possibility of breaking their hand if they land a solid shot. It's not going to stop me from using my right hand if I see an open."

BoxingScene.com: Have you talked with your people from The Contender promotions? Have they called you to discuss what occurred?

Ravelo: "I keep in contact with Josie Lamberth. She's in charge of the fighters. I think they were positive. They didn't try to get rid of me, they still supported me. They're giving me another chance to show it was just a bad night. I appreciate that.

BoxingScene.com: What will it take for you to get up there with the Calzaghe, Kesslers, and Greens of the super middleweight division with regards to public perception?

Ravelo: "I am at their level, I'm just not in their position. What I need to do is be a better fighter in the ring. Alot of people know me in the industry, my name is going to go back in peoples mouth. They're going to start talking again about fights that can happen with me and whoever. That's what I got to do, is get back and have good performances."

BoxingScene.com: Jeff Lacy has an HBO date coming up soon. Ever given any consideration to fighting him?

Ravelo: "I'll fight Jeff Lacy anytime, anytime. The only reason he got an HBO date because Winky's fighting in his hometown and he's from there also. If he hadn't had a title, I don't think they'd put him on. The guy he's fighting is a guy he fought already. You could tell how the fight was going. There was an accidental headbutt and they had to stop the fight. I don't even know why HBO would approve this fight."

BoxingScene.com: You're positive about your career, that's the most important thing about a fighter. Where will your career be six months from now, a year from now, and 2 years from now?

Ravelo: "Two years from now, I'll be holding the title for about six months to a year. Six months from now, I'm looking to get back in there with a top 15 guy who is going to give me some rounds. After that, a top 10 guy. I should be fighting for a title towards the end of 2007. You know how boxing works, one fight can position you for a shot.

BoxingScene.com: If you could have one fight, who is it and why?

Ravelo: "Felix Trinidad! He was just so good. He had so many fans that if I beat him and get his fans to stick with me. I never really thought about, this shit isn't going to happen. The guy started at 135, he fights at 147, I'm 168 starting my career. Right now, he's fighting at 160 and he's coming back. It's something that can actually happen. If Trinidad comes back, now he's talking about De La Hoya wants to fight him but he's fighting Mayweather now. Now Mosley is calling him out. Spinks, I heard something about them. If Trinidad comes back, he beats Spinks, no doubt in my mind. I know Spinks is a master boxer, but at 160 with Trinidad's power, he isn't going to box without getting caught with something. Once he gets caught with something, he doesn't have the greatest chin. I've seen him get hurt by guys I never heard of. I think Trinidad runs through him. If Trinidad comes back and wins that fight, then he fights Mosley and beats him. He's going to stick around and he'll try to make that make sense. I get back, I'm right there. It's not even about a title fight with Trinidad. It's about the following he has, my Dominican following. Trinidad-Ravelo at the Garden! That's the fight that's like a dream to me."

BoxingScene.com: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans who have been supportive and the kids who look up to you?

Ravelo: "I talk to a lot of kids who reach out to me on Myspace and ask me for advice, alot of amateur kids. I give them all advice and they thank me for it. That's stuff I like doing. I got alot of people from England and Germany who request my friendship on Myspace. I had alot of people sending me messages saying that I'm their favorite fighter. That's amazing, people from another country telling me how great of a fighter I am. Man, my fights must be getting aired out there and I don't even know about it. I got this guy who even sent me Calzaghe's promoters number. He was like call this guy, you can get this fight and you can beat him. He's probably going to take you lightly.'

I got alot of people that follow my career. I think alot more people in those outer countries that have been following my career than people out there. I got alot of people that follow my career out here and want me to make it out here. Everything's good, I have alot of people behind me. It's my pleasure to talk to whoever wants to talk to me. I'm not one of these fighters that if someone tries to talk to them... This kid Boston [Dye], he asked me for an autograph, I need to get some pictures for them. I got all these people, which is pretty cool."

BoxingScene.com: Is there anything you'd like to say that we haven't covered.

Ravelo: "What I basically want to say is that I've been a pro now, come January 27, it'll make 6 years I've been a pro. Out of the six years, I've actually been fighting three years. I was out for a year and a half with two surgeries, then after that another year and a half of inactivity. I'm not a used up fighter, I'm not a washed up fighter, I've just been an inactive fighter. Once I get on a roll and start fighting regularly, I'm going to be a world champion. Everyone who knows me, sees me fight, they know I have all the tools to become a world. I have a four fights a year deal with my promoters, that's really good. That's a fight every three months. If I get on a roll, I should be fighting for a title soon. And not only fighting for it but winning it. I want to thank everyone who has been supporting me, the people who know boxing and know the talent a fighter has when they see it. I know there's alot of reporters who just want to write stuff for their sites and they go as far as to put a fighter down.

In my fight with Green, I read two unnamed websites that 'Oh Allan Green caught me with a right hand that almost threw me out the ring.' One time I swung a punch and missed and he pushed me from the back of my head and I pushed myself back in. I read on two websites that he hit me and I got spagghetti legged and almost fell out the ring. The reporters like those kind that put false reports, they're just doing it because I guess that's what sells. But don't make stuff up and make the fighter not a good fighter by making stuff up.

The thing is that once those fighters become household names, these same reporters come at me, guess what. I remember what you put about me when you made something up, so nah, it's cool. That's why you can't belittle a fighter who is getting in the ring, putting his life at risk when you're just a reporter who never probably even put gloves on your hands. Like you would know what it feels like because you've been in the gym, you've sparred, you get hit. I know you wouldn't say something like that. You wouldn't because you know when somebody actually gets hit and gets hurt because you because you box. You do it yourself. Some of these other writers, they want to make stuff up."

Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com .