By Chris Robinson
I first met Cincinnati, Ohio native Rashad Holloway in January of 2010 inside of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on the undercard of his stable mate Vanes Martirosyan's nip and tuck decision over Uganda's Kassim Ouma. Having relocated from Los Angeles to Las Vegas at that point in time, Holloway was training under Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and eyeing a return to the ring following his disappointing majority draw with Francisco 'Gato' Figueroa a few months prior.
Holloway and I hit it off instantly and had several great talks, from his days hustling just to make it back home in Ohio to his eventual relocation to Los Angeles, a city he fell in love with instantly and one he once again calls home. While in L.A., Holloway would find himself on the doorsteps of the Wild Card Boxing Club and gained serious buzz as a talent to look out for after proving himself in sparring the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Alfredo Angulo, Antonio Margarito, and several other stars.
But heading into his fight, later tonight, against Colombian trial horse Jhon Berrio at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California, Holloway realizes how different his situation is these days. He has yet to win since the Figueroa performance, having only fought once since then, an eight-round decision loss to Filipino southpaw Dennis Laurente on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard last November in Dallas, Texas, and he concedes that much of the aura that once surrounded him has disappeared.
"The reality is this," Holloway said, opening up our conversation. "At one point in time I was a real hyped and talked about prospect and now I've fizzled out. It's my fault. I haven't performed the way I should have in the fights I had. I can sit up here and blame it on my injuries and talk about my eye injury but it's no excuse. When you come back, you have to come back hard. And I didn't come back the way I should."
All you have to do is pull up a Youtube clip of Holloway going head to head with Angulo or going through his regimen at the Wild Card to get a sense of just how much talent he possesses. Physical gifts were something that were bestowed upon the 30-year old and in reflecting on his recent years he believes there was something else amiss during his recent bouts.
"It's all been a lesson," Holloway continued. "I've learned a lot. Every setback was a lesson and I am coming back stronger from them. I really had to sit down and ask myself if this was what I really wanted to do. I've answered those questions. I feel like I have the same kind of hunger and desire that I had when I was a little younger. If that wasn't in me anymore, than I would give it up. Because I have all the talent in the world, but there's something that has been missing in my last couple of performances."
Asking Holloway about any new niches in training or expecting to hear of anything out of the ordinary taking place as he prepared for Berrio was of no use, as it was simply business as usual once again at the Wild Card.
With his closing thoughts Holloway made sure to pay respect to WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, who has seen his name thrust into the spotlight with a resounding victory over Andre Berto this past April and a forthcoming September 17th date with one of the sport's biggest stars, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Holloway says he and Ortiz had a few deep conversations, ones that left him with a newfound appreciation to simply be back doing what he loves.
"Vic shared some special words for me and I want to thank my boy for that. We talked and I told him that I was happy for him, for the win that he got against Berto, and I was just happy that he finally got his just dues. He just basically told me 'Believe in yourself'. He believed in himself 100% and that's all that matters."
