By Ryan Burton
A few weeks ago Thomas Dulorme (18-1) had agreed to face unbeaten former champion Paul Spadafora in Atlantic City in a bout televised by HBO Latino. Spadafora ultimately didn't accept the fight and Dulorme will now face Frankie "Gato" Figueroa. Dulorme recently spoke to BoxingScene.com and said that he is happy to have the opportunity to fight on HBO again and can't wait for fight night.
"I was getting ready for Spadafora and I don't know why he didn't take the fight but I was getting ready to fight a southpaw and now I am fighting Figueroa who is also a southpaw so I see some similarities. It is a good fight and opportunity for me. I am ready to fight Figueroa and put on a good show," Dulorme stated.
Dulorme suffered his first career defeat last October against tough Argentine Luis Carlos Abregu. He has since won both of his fights as he has made the gradual move down to the junior welterweight limit. The fight against Figueroa will be his first at 140 pounds.
"It is a process for me. This is a new division for me and I am only 23 years old so I am not rushing it this time. I think this is the right fight for me right now. The time will come when I will fight the top opponents and I feel ready for them now but it is a process for me to get to those guys. I am not at 147 anymore. I am at 140 now," Dulorme explained.
The Puerto Rico resident said that he felt he was at a disadvantage in the power department when he fought in the welterweight division. He feels feels a lot stronger at the lower weight and said that when he steps in the ring with his opponents he feels he will be on an even playing field.
"I feel a lot stronger at this weight. That is why I decided to move down. When I was fighting at 147 I had to rely on my speed and agility. Now at 140 I have speed, agility and power. Now I rehydrate 12-15 pounds more than I weigh in. When I was at 147 my opponents had the power edge because they were a lot heavier than me," Dulorme told BoxingScene.com.
August 17th will mark the 3rd fight of 2013 for Dulorme. He said that if everything goes right he would like to fight a total of four or five times in the calendar year.
"If everything goes well and I don't get cut or injured I would like to fight one or two more times before the year is over. I do my job in the gym and I will let the promoters do their by getting me the fights," said Dulorme.
Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com Follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter and tune in to BoxingScene Radio, BoxingScene's official audio show on Tuesdays from 6-8PM PST. The show is hosted by Ernie Gabion, Luis Sandoval and Ryan Burton