By Ryan Burton

 

Former WBC minimumweight champion Carina "La Reina" Moreno (21-2) took time out of her training camp to speak to BoxingScene.com about her upcoming fight versus the undefeated Yesica Bopp (15-0).  The fight takes place on January 29th in Buenos Aires, Argentina which is Bopp's backyard.  Moreno will be moving up in weight to try to capture Bopp's WBA and WBO junior flyweight titles.  The Watsonville, California based fighter talks about the move up in weight, fight strategy and more in this exclusive interview.

 

Boxingscene:  Tells us about your upcoming fight versus Yesica Bopp?

 

Carina Moreno:  I am very excited.  I haven't fought in over 14 months so me getting back in the ring is very exciting for me.  I have seen a little bit of video of Yesica Bopp.  She is a real good fighter.  She has a real good right hand.  She is pretty fast on her feet.  I have seen her use two different styles so I am not sure which style she is going to bring that night.  I saw a video of her and she was counterpunching someone and then I saw another video and she was attacking so she does a little bit of both.  It is going to be a good fight.  A tough fight.  She has been active.  Her last fight was about 5 months ago and like I said I haven't fought in 14 months.  I am ready to go and training has been going real good.  I have been doing a lot of sparring and I still have a couple more weeks.  I think they are kind of taking me a little bit lightly because they probably saw that I haven't been active.  They think that this is going to be easy for them but they are going to be in for a big surprise on that night.

 

Boxingscene:  Tell us about your inactivity.  Why haven't you fought since Halloween of 2009?

 

Carina Moreno:  I had like 4 fights set up where they dropped out at the last minute and those types of things.  That and in one the girl got injured and in another the whole card got cancelled.  Just things like that.  Last year wasn't a very good year for me.  I am excited that the new year has just begun and I already have a fight coming up.  Hopefully it continues.  This looks like it is going to be my year.

 

Boxingscene:  Not only do you have a fight coming up but you are going right into a title shot for the WBO and WBA junior flyweight titles.  Give us your thoughts on fighting for those titles.

 

Carina Moreno:  It is another step for me.  I have been fighting at 105 pounds and moving up in weight to 108 is going to be good.  I have kind of been having a little bit of trouble making 105 so this time around I won't have to be killing myself to get down to that weight.  I am stoked about that.

 

Boxingscene:  Are you at all worried about getting a fair shake since the fight is in Bopp's home country of Argentina?

 

Carina Moreno:  That is one of the things that kind of worries me.  Obviously when you go overseas and you fight in someone else's hometown you go into the fight knowing you are down 3 rounds already on the scorecards.  I am excited and she is the world champion and I am the challenger so she has more to be worried about than I do.  I think that are game plan is to go in there and just not get hit.  I think that is the only way I can win in her hometown.  I have to avoid getting hit.  That is the key.

 

Boxingscene:  What would it mean to you to capture a world championship in a second weight class?

 

Carina Moreno:  That would mean a lot to me.  When I first started I always said I wanted to be a world champion in three weight divisions, 105, 108 and 112.  I have already been a world champion at 105 and here is my opportunity at 108 to accomplish that goal that I have had since I started.

 

Boxingscene:  How is the support for you there in your hometown of Watsonville, California and the Bay Area?

 

Carina Moreno:  It has been great.  I was born and raised here in Watsonville and everybody knows me.  I have been in the newspaper a couple of times.  The people are very supportive.  Everywhere I go people are excited to see me and they wish me good luck.  They tell me to bring the title home and that means a lot to me because they won't be there (in Argentina) but they will be there in spirit and they will be thinking of me that night.

 

Boxingscene: Do you have a message for the fans?

 

Carina Moreno:  I just want to let the fans know that come January 29th I am going to become the champ at 108 pounds.  I want to thank everyone for all the support they have given me throughout all these years.  I am going to make them proud on the 29th.

 

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