Mauricio Herrera: Provodnikov is a Tougher Fight Than Danny Garcia

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“This is what every fighter hopes. To fight for a world title is big.”

Those were the words of Mauricio Herrera who just recently signed to Golden Boy Promotions and is now headed into the biggest fight of his career when he takes on Danny Garcia in Puerto Rico. The thought around the boxing world is that this fight is a showcase fight for Garcia to try to build his Puerto Rican fan base. It’s no secret that Puerto Rican boxing is struggling and at the moment there are no world champions that were born in Puerto Rico. Garcia is of Puerto Rican descent with his father being born on the island but Golden Boy and Garcia have yet to garner the massive support from the island.

Angel Garcia, Danny’s father and trainer has always wanted to have Garcia headline a major card in Puerto Rico. If Garcia garners the support, he becomes a bigger attraction. That attraction could lead to a fight down the line to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. But in his was way stands Mauricio Herrera who has a solid resume and is no pushover. He was a guest on Tha Boxing Voice Radio show last week breaking down a multitude of topics before his March 15th clash with Garcia.

On Signing with Golden Boy:

“I was getting peanuts with Thompson. It was almost like everything was aligned perfectly. The contract ended with them. They were giving us the run around. It wasn’t till we were about to resign with them on Wednesday. Instead they wanted to wait until Friday. Thursday night, Golden Boy gave us a call and I said if you give us a big fight we’ll sign with you and they gave us the Danny Garcia fight. If we would have signed with Thompson on Wednesday, we would have never got the Danny Garcia fight. It changed my whole career signing with Golden Boy.”

On Deserving to fight for the 140 lb Crown:

“I deserve it. I fought stiff competition. This is with my old promoter. I never had a break always had tough fights. My old promoter would throw me in with tough fighters, sometimes on short notice, in their backyard. I fought undefeated guys. I fought Pendarvis, I beat him. I fought Ruslan Provodnikov and beat him. I thought for sure my doors were open then. Then I beat Mike Dallas Jr. Then I got to fight Mike Alvarado and I went to war with him. I thought it was a closer fight then the judges had it. It was tough. After that, they gave me Mayfield which I felt I won the fight. I thought he was a tough opponent; he didn’t come to fight just to spoil. I figure I deserve a shot at the title. I was competitive in every fight.

Will Puerto Rico Accept Garcia?

“When we went to the press conference in Puerto Rico, it was Danny’s first time there. Angel was begging the people to love his son saying Camacho and Cotto weren’t born here but you accept them. I don’t think the people are going to accept Danny in one shot, one time. He’s never fought over there. They talk Puerto Rico-Mexico but I wasn’t born in Mexico either like he wasn’t born in Puerto Rico. They’ll start rooting for him and then they’ll switch during the fight rooting for me.”

 

Provodnikov’s Improvements:

“When we fought Provodnikov, we got that win. It’s one of the reasons we left our promoter. We didn’t get any credit for that win. I thought Provodnikov was just as strong as when he fought Bradley. I didn’t see any differences from my fight, same powerful guy coming forward. He’s just as dangerous as when I fought him. In that fight I proved I can take a punch. I fought him with a closed eye. I learned a lot from every fight, I got to adjust in every fight. I know I’m not the harder puncher with Garcia; I got to outsmart, and fight the smartest fight of my career.”

Provodnikov’s Success since their First Fight:

“You always want to see where you’re at in the game when you watch fights. When I fought Provodnikov he was strong and we beat him, they wanted a rematch but I didn’t get paid anything for that fight. I told my manger why a rematch if we’re not going to get paid. He’s tough, I guarantee you he’s a world champion. Why not let him fight guys and he will beat them and he’ll become a world champion. That’s exactly what happened. Now it will make sense to have a rematch. It was a confidence booster seeing Bradley had trouble with him and I called him beating Alvarado. That’s what’s going to happen with Danny. My style is going to give him fits.

Garcia Underestimating Him?

“I think Danny is underestimating me, they think I’m a good solid opponent to give him some rounds. He thinks he’s going to outwork me or knock me out. At the press conference, he didn’t look at me, he wasn’t worried about me. He’s training right now and I’m not in his mind. I didn’t trash talk him. For all I know he’s training right now, he’s not even thinking about me, who knows maybe that can turn against him. I’m taking it seriously because this is the shot of my life.

Tougher Fight, Provodnikov or Garcia?

“I think Provodnikov will be a tougher fight. He has the eraser. He has the punch from round 1-12. Danny hits hard too but Ruslan is short and compact for the duration of the fight. They’re both tough.”

On Angel Garcia Being Less Talkative:

The day we went to Puerto Rico, they weren’t talking. He (Angel) was not focused on me and was more focused on Puerto Rico accepting his son. The most he said was that I beat a Russian and a Mexican but I’ve never beat a Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico. I think that was all he’s really said. He doesn’t see me as a threat; he was more focused on Puerto Rico. Maybe I’m not a threat to him. We’ll see the day of the fight.”

For Full Audio of This Interview click here: http://thaboxingvoice.com/radioshowpodcast