By Edward Chaykovsky
According to former WBO middleweight world champion Peter 'Kid Chocolate' Quillin (32-1-1, 23KOs), he may return to the ring as a super middleweight.
The New Yorker has been inactive since getting stopped in one round last December at the hands of hometown rival Daniel Jacobs at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Quillin struggled to make the middleweight limit for his challenge of then WBO champion Andy Lee last May. Because he was unable to make the limit, the fight became a non-title contest and the bout itself ended in a draw. But Quillin redeemed himself by making weight for his next two fights, a quick knockout win over Michael Zerafa in September and then the loss to Jacobs.
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Quillin was not happy about his performances against Lee and Jacobs - and because of that he parted ways with longtime trainer Eric Brown and hired well known coach Virgil Hunter of the Bay Area in California. Hunter trains former world champion Andre Ward, Amir Khan and Andre Berto.
There is still no word on when Quillin will actually return to the ring, but he feels ready to fight at any time. He's been making the middleweight division for 15 years and believes it might be finally time to make a move up.
“I’ve been the same weight since I was 18, and I’m 33 now,” said Quillin to Premier Boxing Champions. “After doing that for my whole career, maybe it’s time to go up in weight.
“I have faith in the direction I’m getting and a clear picture of how to get back to where I was. You can’t always tell a man’s character by how he wins; it’s a truer test to see how he responds after he loses. I’m ready to fight at any time, but for right now, we’re just taking it day by day.”
