By Ryan Songalia

John "The Iceman" Scully never seems to be satisfied with what he has on his plate. Aside from training Mike Oliver and an assortment of other talented fighters, Scully now mans the helm of Matt Godfrey's cruise ship to contendership in the cruiserweight division. The Scully-Godfrey union will go through it's first test together Saturday night in Hartford when Godfrey takes on Jeremy Williams. BoxingScene discussed these topics and more with Iceman.

BoxingScene.com: What was your impression of Oliver's shutout performance against Al Seeger? Where does that fight put Oliver at 122?

Scully: "I thought Mikey showed a great deal of heart and determination because he not only was forced to deal with a badly swollen eye from the first round on but he was also in with a very talented fighter who was extremely tall and sharp. To win most of the rounds against Al Seeger under those conditions is no easy trick."

BoxingScene.com: When I last spoke with you, you mentioned how you felt Oliver was being short-changed by the IBF for not forcing a title shot with Steve Molitor. Oliver is ranked number two by that organization. In your words, why does Oliver deserve a shot at the title?

Scully: "Well, there is no ignoring the fact that he is a young 27, an undefeated guy with blazing fast hands who has a tremendous amateur background. He's defeated as good or better competition than most other contenders, I believe. You look at him beating Adam Carrera, Gary Stark, Vernie Torres, Cruz Carvajal and now Al Seeger all in a row, plus Castulo Gonzalez and Terry Lantz early on, that's a very credible bunch of guys."

BoxingScene.com: At 122, Celestino Caballero, Daniel Ponce De Leon, and Israel Vasquez hold title belts. How does Oliver match-up with those guys? Is he ready to fight on that level yet?

Scully: "Honestly, I might feel more comfortable having one or two fights before he matched up with one of them, just for his mental strength if anything. Skill wise, though, if Mike-Mike settles down and realizes what he is capable of, he is a nightmare for any one of those guys. His speed and stance alone are huge problems for each of them."

BoxingScene.com: From what I understand, you are now the chief second in Matt Godfrey's camp. How did that union come about?

Scully: "Well, basically, I got a call from his manager Brett Hallenbeck asking if I would be interested in the job and having known Matt since he was about 15 or so it took me just one second to accept the offer. I had sparred with him on two occasions in the past and had actually worked his corner in 2002 when he beat Devin Vargas and four other guys to win the National Golden Gloves title out in Denver. I always liked what I saw from him and thought he had potential to go even further."

BoxingScene.com: Godfrey's next opponent, Jeremy Williams, brings a lot of experience as a smaller heavyweight. What are your thoughts on Godfrey taking on such a tough test this early in his career?

Scully: "Well, Matt is a very skilled fighter with a tremendous amateur background so something of this magnitude isn't a thing that would phase him like it might a less experienced kid without the same background. When you have a style like Matt that is based on athleticism and you couple that with good technique and an extensive amateur background, well, it isn't really as much of a jump as it appears to be on paper."

BoxingScene.com: How is Jose Antonio Rivera doing since his loss to Daniel Santos? In your opinion, will he continue to fight?

Scully: "Jose said before the fight it was his last fight and all things considered I think he will stick to that."

BoxingScene.com: In light of Cardona's latest defeat at the hands of Mike Jones, where does he go from here?

Scully: "My whole thing, even before his fight with Mike Jones to tell you the truth, is that Pito is a junior welterweight at best. I would say if he wants to fight he should do so at 140 or not at all because anything higher sees him give up any and all advantages that he might enjoy over his opponents, like strength, punching power, durability."

BoxingScene.com: Is there anything else you'd like to say in closing, Ice?

Scully: "Only that I have gotten quite a few emails lately from boxing fans wondering why my book (The Iceman Diaries) isn't finished yet when I have said many times that it was almost done and, for the record, I am truly almost done with it but it is just a thing where I have been involved with so many fights and the training for them over the last few years that it has been hard to finish it up to my liking. I am definitely going to be done relatively soon, I guarantee it will be worth that wait so just let everybody know to be patient!"

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