By Ryan Burton
BoxingScene.com caught up with undefeated welterweight prospect James "Keep'em Sleepin' " Stevenson (23-0) to talk about his upcoming fight with Phillip McCants (8-1-1). The fight takes place on Saturday October 23rd at the National Guard Armory in Pikesville, Maryland. This will be Stevenson's first bout since March. The 27 year old Baltimore, Maryland native has had a run of personal tragedy since that March fight. Stevenson talks about his upcoming fight, overcoming his personal tragedies and more in this exclusive interview.
BoxingScene.com: Tell us about your upcoming fight with Phillip McCants?
James Stevenson: Who's Phillip McCants? Oh I am fighting Phillip McCants? Ooh okay. I don't even know who that guy is (laughing). Phillip McCants from Philly. I heard he is a good fighter. We are going to see about that on Saturday. I don't want to know about him. I just want to see him Saturday.
BoxingScene.com: That means you haven't seen him fight before. Do you just follow your game plan and force him to adjust to you?
James Stevenson: Nope I have never seen him fight before. I will make the adjustments to him when I step in the ring. I will see what he is going to do when I step in the ring and go from there.
BoxingScene.com: You haven't fought since March. I understand your family has had tragedy strategy strike. Can you elaborate on that?
James Stevenson: First of all it started out when my wife's father passed away. A couple months later my wife's mother got cancer and she moved in with us. We had to take care of her and then she passed away. Turn around and my uncle passed away. He lives out of town so we had to travel out of town for that. He had cancer too. A couple months later my father passed away. Then I got back in the ring and I had got injured. I have just been going through a lot these last couple months. Now I am back in the gym training full time and I am ready to fight.
BoxingScene.com: 2010 has not been a good year for you and your family.
James Stevenson. No man. I really have been going through a lot. A lot of deaths. I have been going through things but I have been turning it into energy.
BoxingScene.com: Do you think getting back in the ring will help you not forget the deaths but help you get past all the personal tradegy you have experienced?
James Stevenson: It is going to be hard man because my father was at every fight. This is the first fight that he isn't going to be at. I would always look out of the ring and I would see him. It is definitely going to be hard for me but I am doing it for them.
BoxingScene.com: I assume that is whom you are dedicating this fight to.
James Stevenson: Yes sir.
BoxingScene.com: If you come out with the victory like you plan you will improve your record to 14-0. When do you think you will be ready to fight for a regional title?
James Stevenson: Whatever my manager has in store is okay with me. It is up to my manager. I am just a fighter so whenever my manager says I am ready that is when I will be ready for a regional title.
BoxingScene.com: Being that you have had about a 7 month layoff are you looking to me more active in the next few months?
James Stevenson: Oh yeah. I think after this fight right here that I am going to be fighting again next month. I am not sure about this but I heard manager talk about it. Then I think we have a TV fight in February on the 25th so we have a couple fights lined up.
BoxingScene.com: What is the boxing scene like in your hometown of Baltimore?
James Stevenson: It is tough out here in Baltimore. It is tough. I have a lot of support in the crowd but people in Baltimore don't support people like they are supposed to. I just try to go out there and handle my business and do what I do. If I do that I am definitely going to bring more people out to the fights to support the boxing world of Baltimore.
BoxingScene.com: What do you think it is? Are the fans too wrapped up with the Ravens and Orioles?
James Stevenson: Maybe a lot of people don't have cable to watch boxing in Baltimore. Plus people say U F C is taking over so I have to show people that boxing is still here.
BoxingScene.com: Do you have a message for the fans?
James Stevenson: Come out on the 23rd. You are going to see James Keep'em Sleepin. I am going to give the fans what they want to see which is a knockout. I am going to give them a knockout because I am training real hard. I am going to give them their money's worthy and give them something to talk about. They are going to say we got to watch boxing because that boy is bad. They can tell their kids and they can tell their kids. If you haven't heard of Keep'em Sleepin you need to come see Keep'em Sleepin.
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