By Ryan Burton
Lightweight prospect John Molina (18-1) speaks to BoxingScene.com about his upcoming ESPN2 fight against Ricardo Medina (31-35). Molina reflects on the first loss of his pro career which occurred in November against Martin Honorio. The 27-year-old Molina talks about how he was affected by the flu in that bout and how Honorio refused to give him a rematch. Honorio will be headlining the ESPN2 card this Friday that Molina is appearing on. See what else Molina has to say in this exclusive interview.
BoxingScene.com: I was looking up your fight and it says you are fighting the ever dangerous TBA. Has an opponent been named yet?
John Molina: It is going to be against Ricard Medina. It is going to be more of a....well I don't take anyone lightly but this is more of a stay busy fight. We are getting ready for big moves this year.
BoxingScene.com: Do you know anything about Medina? Have you ever seen him fight?
John Molina: I saw him fight against Honorio and it took him 5 rounds to get him out of there finally. I have seen him fight a few times. He is just an old veteran. I am just going to go in there and be the dominating factor and just push the fight.
BoxingScene.com: So this fight is basically just to get you back in the winner's column?
John Molina: Yes definitely. Not everyone knows that going into that Honorio fight I did have the flu full blown. At best I fought that fight at 30%. It was a real long night with the body aches and throwing up five minutes before the fight. It was just a real bad deal for me but Honorio got that win and we have to give it to him. I still feel very confident that if I got him again and I was at 100% I don't see Honorio lasting five rounds with me.
BoxingScene.com: Was there anything Honorio did that you feel contributed to you losing or was it just because you weren't at 100%?
John Molina: The fight wouldn't have happened that way if I did not get sick. I was full on sick with the flu. I was sick at the press conference. Whether the fans say it was an excuse or not only time will tell. Granted, we offered a rematch and the rematch was not accepted. They said they wanted to go down to 130. I had a meeting with Dan Goossen and Craig and we said we needed to go on to bigger and better things in 2010. 2010 is going to be a big year for me.
BoxingScene.com: The obvious question is why didn't you pull out of the fight if you were sick? Is it because you were fighting on Showtime?
John Molina: It was because it was a Showtime event. We had a doctor go to my room and I said lets just go through with it since there was a sold out crowd and it was on Showtime. Within hours of stepping in the ring I hit the peak of it (the flu) and it was an unfortunate situation. Even at that, at best 30% and Honorio fighting the fight of his life that is what the outcome was. The fact that I didn't have the strength to pull the trigger and he was not a devastating puncher by any means which is neither here nor there now but it is nice to set the record straight. People think I may have stepped up too big too quick but the guy, to be honest with you and not disrespect him but I do feel if I was at 100% he wouldn't last 5 rounds with me. He was the better man and I give it to him that night.
BoxingScene.com: What did you learn from the fight? Would you ever fight if you were sick again?
John Molina: Absolutely not. That would never happen again. That small hiccup in my career which it was, set me back a few months with what I want to do I won't do again. I couldn't pull out of that fight. It was on Showtime with a sold out crowd and I had to do what I had to do. I still feel I did decent in that fight in the sense of where I was at with my body with the chills, fever and throwing up. It was bad news man. Literally as I walked into the locker room I drank half a bottle of Nyquil and I was a real medicine head. I was just a step off and I couldn't pull the trigger. I just wasn't myself. If you watched any of my last fights you have seen what I have done in obliterating guys in the caliber of Honorio. You could see that definitely wasn't me that night.
BoxingScene.com: You said this next fight is a stay busy fight. So what is planned after this fight?
John Molina: They are going to announce that I am scheduled to fight on April 24th at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario on the Arreola vs. Adamek undercard. After that fight we are going to go after a top ten opponent.
BoxingScene.com: I know you are biased but what are your thoughts on Arreola vs. Adamek?
John Molina: It should be pretty entertaining I am interested in watching it. Obviously Arreola and me are under the same banner so I am going for him. It is going to be a very interesting fight. Arreola has really good hand skills. He can box and has good technical skills. Adamek is going to move. He isn't going to stand there and try to slug it out. He is heavy handed himself and it is going to be an interesting fight but I see Arreola pulling it out.
BoxingScene.com: What are we going to see out of you on Friday night?
John Molina: The same old person you saw all the way up until that hiccup. The dominating, entertaining, go for the kill type fighter you have seen. Like I said its not about changing anything. They say I don't move my head or this or that. They can say all they want in the sense that you are going to get hit. Anyone who steps in the ring is going to get hit. That's like me saying I am going to go water skiing and I am not going to get wet. We are in a fight of course we are going to get hit. My confidence is not coming from arrogance but the fact that I do everything possible to be 100% ready to fight. It isn't a showboating arrogance like coming from Mayweather saying I am the best. It is because of my work ethic in the gym and it will show through Friday night.
BoxingScene.com: Do you have a message for the fans?
John Molina: Stay tuned and check out my fights. The fans who know me know who I am what I am about. I am going to come out explosive and be offensive like you are used to seeing and I will go for the kill.
