By Chris Robinson
With the spotlight shining down on him following his 5th round TKO over Vicente Escobedo this weekend on HBO, former junior lightweight champion Adrien Broner had no problem addressing his future. Having lost his WBO title at the scales after coming in overweight on Friday, Broner is now heading to 135 pounds and took to calling out the names of Juan Manuel Marquez, Brandon Rios, and WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco as future opponents.
Wanting to get DeMarco’s thoughts on the situation, I reached out to the Los Mochis, Mexico native on Sunday afternoon to get his feelings on Broner’s call out, and was a bit surprised to hear what he had to say.
Read below for a few highlights from my conversation with DeMarco, including why he isn’t focused on the brash Cincinnati stylist, his thoughts on his September 8th showdown with John Molina Jr., why Danny Garcia inspired him with his upset TKO over Amir Khan last weekend, and trainer Freddie Roach’s modest track record in recent big fights of late.
This is what DeMarco had to share…
Not responding to Adrien Broner…
“I’m a very respectful guy in and out of the ring. Right now my mind is on John Molina Jr. After that fight, if I win, then I will say what’s going to happen. And I feel glad that they think about me, because that means I’m doing something good. For now, my mind is set on September on John Molina.”
Thoughts on his next opponent, John Molina Jr…
“I have a lot of respect for John Molina and he’s a very good boxer. Whoever goes to see the fight, they’re not going to regret, because that’s going to be a very, very good match. I’m glad the fight is happening and I know I’m going to bring everything to the table.”
Choosing to stay at home for his training…
“To be a good champion, you don’t need to go to training camp; you could do it wherever you are. Right now I’m in Tijuana, with my family. I just brought my family, my mother and my father, from Los Mochis to Tijuana, so they could spend time with me. And I’m very, very motivated. My biggest motivation is my wife and my daughter. I don’t think I have to go anywhere to train, I just have to do what I do every day in order to keep being who I am. I want HBO to see the way I am, so that I can get more exposure.”
Thoughts on Danny Garcia’s crushing upset over Amir Khan…
“Yes, I watched the fight, and I feel very motivated, because that’s the kind of fight I’m looking for. That made me think to go up to 140 pounds, because they have a lot of challenges for me up there. But I just take it one day at a time and try to do my best with what I have right now. Later on, everything is going to show up. For now, I deal with what is in front of me.”
No worries for Freddie Roach, who has seen Khan, Manny Pacquiao, and Jorge Linares lose big fights over the past nine months...
“Freddie Roach is an excellent person and an excellent trainer. What’s happened to him, can happen to anybody. But I know he’s going to be out of that and everything is going to be OK later. That’s why so many people love and respect Freddie, because he’s always committed to the boxers and to the sport. The same way bad things happen right now, good things are going to happen later on the way they were happening before. I don’t think he has to worry too much.”
RECENT SLIDESHOWS - click for more photos
Danny Garcia drops, rocks, and upsets Amir Khan - A sizzler at the Mandalay Bay as Danny Garcia halts Amir Khan in the fourth round
Nonito Donaire downs Jeffrey Mathebula - Behind the scenes at the HBO card, including a ringside view of Donaire's victory, Kelly Pavlik, Robert Garcia, Bob Arum, Abner Mares, and others
Candid images of Tim Bradley's controversial victory over Pacquiao - A ringside view of the controversial showdown
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com, www.Twitter.com/CRHarmony, and www.YouTube.com/CRHarmony
