PHILLY BOXING HISTORY                                                                             June 08, 2012

  

Home Boxers Fights Arenas Non-Boxers Gyms Relics More About Contact
 
 


TWO DAYS OUT
EVERYONE IS READY
 

  
   

All three Philly boxers fighting on Saturday's card, are ready for action. Mike Jones, challenger for the IBF welterweight title, is loose and relaxed. Mike is smiling and seems to be enjoying the ride. Teon Kennedy, WBA super bantamweight title challenger, has the blinders on and is serious and focused. Jesse Hart, making his pro debut Saturday, is as talkative and expressive as ever. He seems very happy to be here on the big stage for his launch into the professional ranks.

I caught up with the fighters and their teams on Thursday. Here's what they had to say.

 

MIKE JONES
"I'm edgy right now to get in the ring. You just can't tell because I'm cool like that."

Does the edginess build as the fight gets closer?

"Hey! It can't build no more than what it is now (laughs). I've been ready for this for years. I'm ready. My focus is just going out there, do my thing, and get that belt. That's all I care about."
 

VAUGHN JACKSON (Jones' Trainer)
"I have a lot of confidence in my fighter and I know he's going to come through and fulfill our dreams. Come June 9th, we are going to have a new champion."

 



 

 

TEON KENNEDY
"I don't get anxious until the day of the weigh in. That's when I get anxious to get in and fight."

"Yesterday, I weighed in and I was under weight. So that's a good thing, a mental thing. I don't have to worry about losing weight at the last minute."

On the day of the fight: "Relax, eat, think about the fight. Talk to my mom, my sister, and my kids until fight time."
 


WADE HINNANT (Kennedy's co-trainer)
"He's always been focused for big fights. I think he's just ready to get in there and show the world what he 's capable of."

 



 

RANDY HINNANT (Kennedy's co-trainer)
"Well just can't wait until it happens. The clock is ticking. It's getting closer and closer. This is the time to relax. It's time to just wait and let it happen."

 


 

JESSE HART
"We've been training super hard for this fight. All the hard work Danny Davis put me through. My dad late at night I can't sleep because he's on my phone telling me he's going over the game plan. My wife pushed me, my mom pushed me, everybody is pushing me. And we just put in too much hard work to come up short. We're looking to get him out of there in the first round so we can see the Pacquiao fight."

 

CYCLONE HART (Hart's father& trainer)
"I'm terribly excited about everything that's going on for Jesse, cause he's a young man and he's coming from Philadelphia, and we come to fight in Vegas, and we come to give them the talent that we have to give them from Philadelphia. Because we have talent and we come to fight. He's trained for 15 rounds, and we only going 4. We ready!"



 

J RUSSELL PELTZ
(Promoter of Jones & Kennedy)
"What got them here? Hard work, dedication, talent, and a little bit of luck."

    
 

 

  
 


John DiSanto - Las Vegas - June 08, 2012
 

  
     
 

HOME

  
 

2012 STORIES

  
 

 

  
     
     
1