BoxingScene Exclusive, Rocky Juarez Interview ("Double Trouble" Thoughts)

By Rick Reeno

A fighter suffering defeat is never easy, the first time is even harder. On August 20, Rocky Juarez tasted defeat for the first time in his professional career. Rather than sit around and feel sorry for himself, Rocky is ready to get right back in the ring to prove that he is still one of the best featherweights in the world.

Prior to his leap into the professional ranks, Juarez built up an amateur resume that most fighters can only dream about.

In 1996, Juarez earned gold medals in both the Junior Olympics National Championships and the Junior Olympics World Championships. In 1997, he won the Muhammad Ali Cup, earned a bronze medal at the U.S. Championships and won the “Under-19” U.S. National Championships. In 1998, he won the National PAL Championships. In 1999, he won the U.S. Championships and earned a gold medal at the World Championships. 

In 2000, he won the U.S. Championships for the second consecutive year, and earned the “Outstanding Boxer” award at the Olympic Trials. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Juarez made it all the way to the gold medal round. He lost a controversial decision to Bekzat Sattarkhanov of Kazakhstan and was forced to accept the silver medal. Juarez finished his amateur career with a record of 145-17.

In the professional ranks, Juarez piled up 23 consecutive wins, 16 of them by knockout. The win streak of Juarez came to an end when he stepped into the ring against late replacement Humberto Soto on the undercard of Fernando Vargas vs. Javier Castillejo. Originally, Juarez was supposed to face In-Jin Chi for the WBC featherweight title. Chi suffered an injury and was forced to pull out. Soto came in as a last minute replacement to score an upset win that very few people saw coming.

BoxingScene sat down with Juarez to discuss his loss to Soto, his future and the upcoming September 10 Staples Center event which involves Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao in separate bouts. 

BoxingScene.com: Rocky, you are coming off a tough loss to Humberto Soto, what do you think went wrong in the fight? 

Rocky Juarez: Well, I didn't fight my fight. I have no excuses. I did my best and he was the better man that night. I should have fought more on the inside, I did well on the inside and spent too much on time on the outside. The first round was more a round where I was feeling him out. He hurt me in the second round and when I watched the tape, I was very happy with that way I kept my composure and kept throwing punches.  

I think I was retreating too much, he was strong and I think I was retreating too much and should of fought more on the inside and pushed him back.

 

BoxingScene.com: Do you think the fact that you were retreating may have influenced some of the judges to give him some of the close rounds?

 

Rocky Juarez: Yeah, it could of played a factor in the judges' scoring. I did well and hurt him when we fought on the inside, I should of stayed more on the inside and made it an inside fight.

 

BoxingScene.com: It appeared that you knew after 6 rounds were in the book that you may have given him an early lead and you seemed to be much more aggressive in the late rounds.

 

Rocky Juarez: Yeah, I have to agree with you. I felt that he may have won some of the early rounds and I knew that I had to pick up the pace if I wanted to win the fight. Time flies by in a fight. The ringcard girl was holding the card for round 6 and at that point I knew I had to be busier.

 

BoxingScene.com: Going into the final round, did you think you needed a knockout to win the fight or did you feel the fight was close enough that you only needed the last round to pull out the win?

 

Rocky Juarez: I actually thought both. I knew it was a close fight and that I needed the last round to win, but I also felt that I may need a knockout to win.

 

BoxingScene.com: Do you think the last minute change in opponents played a role in the loss?

 

Rocky Juarez: I don't want to say that it did, but it could of played a factor. I was very disappointed when I heard that the fight with Chi was canceled, but I wanted to get in the ring because I worked so hard during training camp. I came in great shape and was prepared, Soto was just the better fighter that night.

 

BoxingScene.com: What did you know about Soto coming into the fight and were you ready for such a physical fight?

 

Rocky Juarez: I knew Soto was a hard puncher and that he had a very good chin, I knew he could take a punch. I trained to let my hands go because I know that Chi comes to fight so I had to be prepared to exchange a lot of punches. I hit him with some very hard punches, I never hit him on the right spot, his jaw, but I hit him with some good shots and he kept coming. I was actually supposed to fight Soto last year, things happened and we went with Zahir Raheem.

 

BoxingScene.com: How did your hometown treat you when you came from the loss?

 

Rocky Juarez: There are some guys that think they are coaches, but they never stepped a foot in the ring. There are also a lot of people that came up to me and congratulated me on a good fight. I would have to say that a lot of people here still support me and are still very much behind me.

 

BoxingScene.com: What is the next step for you?

 

Rocky Juarez: I want to get right back in there. I called my manager Shelly (Finkel) and told him I want to get right back in the ring. After the loss, I was very hurt. I didn't know what was going to happen, I didn't know if my promoter was going to dump me or if my manager was going to dump me. I called up Shelly and said "what happens now?".

 

I'm ready to get back in the gym after my hands stop feeling sore. I'm looking to come back later in the year and fight a real opponent, not one of these fighters who won't give me any competition. I want to think of this loss as a lesson. I learned a lot from this loss and now it's almost like I have to start over again and come back even hungrier.

 

BoxingScene.com: So you don't want some guy that you will just walk over, you want a credible comeback opponent.

 

Rocky Juarez: Exactly. I don't want to fight some guy with a losing record. I want a good fighter in my comeback.

 

BoxingScene.com: Do you want to get an immediate rematch with Humberto Soto or do you want to take a tuneup before hand?

 

Rocky Juarez: I would like an immediate rematch with Soto, but I don't think that will happen. Our fight was a WBC elimination bout and Soto will probably wait to fight In-Jin Chi for the title.

 

BoxingScene.com: If you can't land a fight with Soto in the near future, who would you like to face next?

 

Rocky Juarez: I'll fight anybody, I'll fight any of the champions. I want to achieve my dream of becoming a champion.

 

BoxingScene.com: Who would you say is the best fighter in your division?

 

Rocky Juarez: Definitely Juan Manuel Marquez. I think he is the best fighter in the division and recognized as the true champion.

 

BoxingScene.com: There is huge boxing event coming up on September 10 in the Staples Center. Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao will be featured in separate bouts against opponents that you have defeated in the past, Hector Velazquez and Zahir Raheem. Do you think Raheem has a chance to beat Morales?

 

Rocky Juarez: Raheem has a chance to win, he is a good boxer. He has a very slick style. He gave me some trouble in our fight because he was slick and would hold a lot when I got close to him. Raheem made me look bad and the referee made me look bad. He kept holding me because I'm the shorter fighter, it didn't bother me because I kept throwing punches on the inside, but the referee would jump in there real quick and break us up every time. It just kept taking me off my rhythm every time it happened.

 

Raheem has no power so he has to use his speed, he has fast hands. Raheem doesn't hit hard, his punches didn't bother me at all. The best punch Raheem hit me with in our fight was a jab that landed right on my nose. Morales is a strong fighter with a terrific chin and I would say that the odds are in his favor. I think Morales is going to win.

 

BoxingScene.com: Morales was able to deal with Pacquiao's speed. I think he will be able to deal with the speed of Raheem without any serious problems.

 

Rocky Juarez: I actually think Pacquiao has faster hands than Raheem.

 

BoxingScene.com: Then Raheem is going to have some problems. How about about Velazquez, does he stand a chance to beat Pacquiao?

 

Rocky Juarez: As long as he doesn't get caught. He can also take a good shot. I think that Velazquez has a much better chance of beating Pacquiao than Raheem has of beating Morales. Other than Soto, I would have to say that Velazquez is the toughest fighter that I have ever faced in the ring.

 

BoxingScene.com: The public perception is that Morales is facing the more dangerous opponent. What your saying is between Velazquez and Raheem, Velazquez is the better and more dangerous opponent?

 

Rocky Juarez: Yes. Velazquez is the tougher fighter. He is a good fighter and crafty. I want to say that he is a good dirty fighter. He knows how to hit you behind the head when the referee is not looking, he knows how to use his head on the inside like a third hand, he will hit while he is holding. I learned in our fight that he is a very good technician on the inside. Being the shorter fighter, I would get in spots where I thought he couldn't throw on the inside and he was still able to find a way to throw punches on the inside. He is a very efficient fighter.

 

BoxingScene.com: Would you say that Velazquez is a banger? Could this guy hit?

 

Rocky Juarez: He will throw back with you, he has a good knockout percentage on his record. He is more of a technician, he likes to break a fighter down with punches to the body and the head.