Cornelius ‘K9” Bundrage’s 2012 has included a victory over his mandatory Cory Spinks, a new promoter in Golden Boy Promotions, and the loss of friend/manager/ trainer Emmanuel Steward. Along with that has been the possibility of landing big fights in the 154 lb division with either Miguel Cotto or Canelo Alvarez. However, neither fight came to fruition but K9 us hoping to have a much more successful and busier 2013. Bundrage spoke to ThaBoxingVoice.com regarding his future, the 154 lb division, and other things boxing.
How he saw Cotto-Trout:
“Cotto picked to fight Trout because he came cheaper. Trout didn’t have the kind of power to knock him out. Trout only took $240k; I wasn’t going to take the kind of money. It turned out to be in Trout’s favor. That $240K was a smart move; Al Haymon made a smart move. But I wouldn’t have taken that kind of money. Plus with Cotto it wouldn’t have went 12 rounds.”
On whether he would fight Cotto if he chose to stay at 154 lbs:
I don’t want no fight with no Cotto, He had a chance to fight me and didn’t, I want to fight the best. I don’t just want to fight for the money. Beating him now wouldn’t be worth nothing now. I wanted to fight him coming off that Mayweather performance. He was hot. If I beat him, then they going to say he just lost to Trout. Who knows? If they talk the right amount, I’ll put it on him.
Whether Trout made a name for himself and would he be willing to fight Trout:
“Trout finally proved himself and he has a quality win now. Trout’s my Christian brother. If their talking right, we definitely can make that fight, but they have to be talking right. A good thing about it too is it’s a young guy, Cotto had his chance to fight me and didn’t. But I still want the fight to be big, because even though Cotto lost, a Cotto-K9 fight would be bigger than K9-Trout. If you ask Trout who he would want to fight between K9 and Canelo, he would say Canelo. That’s what I would say, I’d say Canelo or I’d say Floyd Mayweather. This is business. If you have a chance to fight a bigger fight, he would, so would I.”
Why a fight with Gabriel Rosado isn’t happening:
“He’s out the door now. With boxing you have to be patient. I was the number one guy and I was ready to fight Spinks for the fight, they offered me a fight against Alfredo Angulo. I was patient, I could have taken the fight with Angulo but I would have lost my spot. I was patient, they offered me Angulo twice. I wanted to take the fight but I still had my title shot, so I had to be patient.”
Whether he feels Rosado made a good decision in moving up in weight to fight Gennady Golovkin:
“With a guy like Rosado, he has to be patient in this boxing game but who knows, he might come up with a Trout move taking a fight with a guy like that. It might be a good move. He’s fighting for more money and still fighting for a belt and it’s going to be on HBO. It would have been a bad move if he wasn’t going to be fighting for no belt. So it might be a good move but I’m sure if losses, he’s going to be calling me out. Same thing like Cotto, he could have fought me but he fighting that other guy, then you can’t be calling me out. “
“He definitely would have got that shot if he waited, he’s my mandatory. Only way he didn’t get that shot if I would have fought Floyd or Canelo, then he would have got that fight. I wasn’t going to lose my belt and I wasn’t going to let them strip me. You’re not going to see me throwing belts in the garbage because I’m going to duck someone. I fight my mandatory, only reason I fought Sechew Powell and Cory Spinks again.”
What he prefers to be next:
“Mayweather or Canelo. With Canelo, I don’t know maybe if I look bad of if God says so. I think they’re trying to keep Canelo as far away from me as possible. They told me if he (Canelo) wants to fight Floyd or if Floyd wants to fight him; I don’t know if Floyd wants to fight him. I’m just looking forward to fight who they put in front of me and keep it moving, I’m not chasing guys anymore.”
“With Mayweather, I heard Floyd’s going to fight in February so I hope Floyd steps up to the plate. You know he has the WBA World Championship, he’s the WBA World Champion. I’m the IBF world champion. It would be beautiful to unify, finally someone step up to the plate, someone who’s a great fighter in Floyd. Other guys like Canelo have yet to step up to the plate. I got the IBF belt, the only champion at 154 for IBF, not the regular champion, not trying to step on Trout. The WBO World Champion, I knocked him off already, he don’t want me. I’d really want to fight Floyd. I really just want to fight the best. Cotto lost. It’s a money fight but he lost. Floyd’s somebody that ain’t lost. It ain’t about the money, we can do winner take all. Of course people want to fight him, he’s the cash cow. Floyd doesn’t have a Tommy Hearns around to prove he’s the best but if he beats K9 that would be the biggest win of his career unless he fights Pacquiao and beats Pacquiao.”
If not Mayweather or Canelo, what other names have been mentioned for him to fight:
“If not Canelo or Floyd, they mentioned James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo; it could be one of those guys. These world champions fighting all these other guys but me, so I got to get a good tune-up in. I got to stay sharp, I can’t be fighting once a year. We’re aiming for a February date. But I’m happy to be signed with Golden Boy, look forward to be in the ring more than once a year. I’m looking to fight 3 or 4 times in 2013. But my return will be on Showtime and possibly in Detroit.”
