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How are you today?
I’m doing fine, thank you.
Many guys your age are still
fighting, why did you decide to
leave when you did?
‘Cause I knew that my opponents
were getting worse and I had no
will to win. I figured it was
better to leave the sport rather
than stick around and get hurt.
I enjoy my work now outside of
boxing and I have great
co-workers.
Do you miss boxing?
No, not at all. I mean I
accomplished the things I wanted
to accomplish and I was tired. I
had been boxing since I was 10
years old. I had a good career,
no regrets, but it is over.
You were considered one of the
top 10 pound-for-pound fighters
at the pinnacle of your career.
Did that matter to you?
Yes, it mattered, but when you
start believing your own
headlines, it’s easy to get
confused and become
overconfident. I tried my best
not to believe everything I read
and just do my job. During that
time, I felt more like a cartoon
character and not a real person.
I read a quote from the actress
Rita Hayworth who said “People
go to bed with Rita Hayworth and
they wake up with me.”
Yeah, that’s it. I was me, but
somehow I was just a character.
That‘s not who I am, I’m a real
person.
Would you tell me about your
family life, Junior?
I am divorced and I have two
children. My children and I are
very close. And, I still live in
Brooklyn, New York.
Do you workout in any of the
famous gyms in your area?
No, I worked out since I was 10
years old and I don’t miss
working out. I do go by and
visit some old friends once in
awhile, but that’s about it.
You had quite an amateur career,
did you enjoy that?
Yeah, I was a decent amateur; I
won two New York Golden Glove
Championships and a few others.
Did you always have a big punch?
Yes, that pretty much came
naturally, even when I was
younger. When I turned pro I got
stronger and my punch got
better.
What would you say was the
highlight of your career?
I think Canizales was the
highlight of my career. Because
he was so good and broke the
record for knockouts. He was
also in the Hall of Fame.
You also beat all time-great and
Hall-of-Famer, Marco Antonio
Barrera. He was unbeaten when
you knocked him out, wasn’t he?
Yeah, I knocked him out in the
first fight and decisioned him
in the second, but still, the
Canizales fight stands out to me
as the highlight of my career.
Were you able to keep some of
the monies that you earned?
I have like an IRA and other
investment funds like that so
I’ll be fine for a long time.
Congratulations, many boxers go
through their money pretty fast.
Yeah, well, I was married at
that time and we made good
decisions financially.
Beside the highlight, was there
also a low period that you’d
like to share?
Not really, I mean every time I
lost was a low light. However,
outside of the fights I lost, I
pretty much did everything that
I wanted. I accomplished a lot,
and my life was very good. I did
not really have any low lights.
Is there anything special that
stands out about your career
beside the Canizales fight?
No, that was it, because I was
the underdog and I shocked
myself by winning. Other than
that, nothing stands out except
that I met a lot of great people
and a lot of characters. Outside
of that, I thank God that I did
more than most people can do.
The things that I did, I just
can’t complain, they were all
good memories.
Are there any funny or odd
boxing stories that you recall?
No, not in boxing. It was always
serious business in there.
However, in life I was always
the card of the family, some of
the things that happened outside
of boxing was pretty funny.
Is there anything you’d like to
share?
There was one time for Halloween
that I dressed up like a girl,
and I must have been the ugliest
girl ever. Even at that I
realized that some guys don’t
care about your looks ‘cause
guys came up to me trying to hit
on me and I had to explain, “Hey
guys, this is a costume!”. Some
guys just don’t care.
Is there anything else that you
would like to add?
I would like to tell everyone
involved with boxing from the
promoters to the fans that I
appreciate what boxing has done
for me and I hope that people
can be inspired by what I’ve
been able to accomplish. Not to
be like me, but to aspire to do
better than me.
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