Well, it's my pleasure to welcome to the show this week for the podcast, it is the IVF Welterweight Champ of the World, Jaran Boot Senta's Boots. Thanks for doing this. You've got a very big fight coming up, I would I would say we'll talk about this, the biggest of your career.
Go square off.
Against a Monta stanionis they unify your IBF title with his WBA Wealthair White Table April twelf It's the Mattroom Boxing main event alive on the Zones at the Boardwalk Call in Atlantic City, not too far from your hometown in Philadelphia. So welcome to the show. Uh, and answer that question, is this Do you think this is by far the biggest fight of your career?
Honestly, we don't know. We'll you know, we'll see you on you know, all finite. But what's you know, citations wise, Yeah, you know, because you got a bet, I got a bill, but you know, Star Wars don't know.
You know, well, you have been calling out for unification fight for quite some time, ever since you uh uh picked up the title that you have at the moment, is this uh? Is it a It's been a long trek to get there. How are you feeling now that you finally have at least one of these unification fights that you've been asking for for such a while.
I feel great, you know, to be able to have, you know, finally get what I want, you know, and that's unifications and not fighting these these are other guys and things like that. So I mean, you know, I'm excited to be able to to fight for unification. And like I said, short, the world, well, I'm the best in the world.
When you and your team, when you and your father and everybody looks over stanionas checks out the video. Maybe you've seen him fight, you know, in person in the past. However, it may be what do you see in his style that that makes him appealing for your style?
I mean, I mean we see we see a lot, you know, and he you know, he hit a good fighter and things like that, but there's nothing we've never seen before. He come forward, no pressure, he comes forward with pressure, Try Jim, try throw a lot of punches. You know, we've seen all that before. Ain't no fing we've never seen before. So you know, I'm we're excited and uh, we can't wait. You know, I'm ready, ready to make a big statement on all the next editent.
You're coming off of your of your last fight in the mandatory rematch against current Chakazi in which was a fight that I don't think you wanted. I don't think anybody wanted, but because of the IBF situation, he wound up as the fight you kind of had to take, and you had you had beat him so easily in your first fight, which was for an interim title back in twenty twenty three. How annoyed? How annoyed were you that you were sort of forced into that fight if
you wanted to maintain your title. It's one thing boats to have a mandatory, it's an other thing to have a mandatory not that long after you already kicked the guys who are in not that long ago.
Yeah, I mean it's very hard. You know, it's frustrating, but you know, in the day is boxing, you gotta do what you gotta do. You know, you put him in front of me, I gotta fight him, and I gotta beat him. So That's what I'm gonna do.
He seemed to give you at least a little bit of a more competition in the second fight, changed things up a little bit dinner run the way he did the first time, actually did stand for for for a time. For times during that match and fight, you you yourself kind of were critical of your own performance when it was over. Were you were you a little disappointed in that particular? Are not the result because you won the fight, but just in the way that you boxed?
Uh yeah, I mean, uh, you know it's it's definitely not not disappointed, but I know better than things like that. And uh, it's it's it's hard to fight guys like that, you know. You know, like like you just said, I beat him already, and you know I already kind of like didn't want to want to fight. I was forced
to fight him. So you know, today is a boxing you live and you learn, you got you gotta you gotta push through it, you know, and uh, you know it made me actually a better better fighter and and uh and take you know two things differently in camp.
You know, well before you had the rematch, I mean, the one way that you could have not had to fight him at least right away to keep your title was under ib f roles because the mandatory was due. You could have done the unification fight. And obviously you guys, Eddie Hearn and your team at Matt Troom and your your side of the of the Alleger had conversations about the possibility of a unification with Brian Norman and it did not come about because you guys were a little
part on the money. I wonder were how disappointed were you about that? That here on the one hand, you're like, well, maybe I'm gonna get the unification I've wanted, and then obviously it fell apart and the alternative was you having to fight the mandatory again.
Yeah, I mean it's very it's very disappointing. But at the end of the day, we're here now, I got my unification, you know, and I'm ready to put it over next year. I'm ready. I'm ready show the rule round the best in the world. I guess I'm not to stay honest.
Brian Norman did come back from his own injury that he had and he did fight just recently against Derek Kavis. He got a third round knockout, you know, look really good, you know, blowing him away. Obviously not a top level opponent like if he was fighting one of the other champions. But if you if you take care of your business, like I know you expect to do against Danielis and
you unify. Is that a fight you want to revisit before you go to one fifty four and try to continue to unify the welterweight division.
My many phobies right now is a manches day owness. You know. Once I handle business next day and uh showed the world around the best in the world, we'll figure it out and wilfare what we're going to do from there, you know. But like my main phocus right now, I ain't really learning about nobody else outside of mantstain Huns. I'm locked in on him, and uh, once i'm Victoria's you know next here to day, you know, we'll take it from there. You know, we'll see there.
Well. I certainly understand that attitude of being locked in, especially on an undefeated champion that you got to fight, But I do want to ask you about all the things that went into before this got done, which was the conversations you know, you know what happened with the you know, you were tied to the fight potentially going over to Saudi Arabia that would have been this past February against Virgil Ortiz that had been a heck of a fight, be a great fight, you know in the future,
I would imagine. I just like to hear from your perspective what exactly happened in your mind, because it seemed like that fight was the deal made. Everybody seemed to be excited. Turkey Alshkh was into the fight. H And then it came time to get it done done, and it was a difference over what the weight was. Where he was at fifty four, you were at forty seven. You had said maybe I'll move up to fifty four after the Chikazian fight, and then when he got the paperwork,
it said forty seven, No, no go for him. What what was your what was your side of that situation?
Don't good? It was, Uh, I'm a one forty one forty something hundred, you know, and that's that's the weight that I'm at right now. So yeah, well, you know, there was a lot of confusion and misshands going on, but it's out of my control, you know. And uh, at end of the day, I'm at one free man. I'm I'm like, you know, I'm freezing right now at the moment, and I'm I'm getting to collect these boats, unify and uh, uh, you know, attract at the other chamberge as well, So you know I'm done here.
For them, Okay, I mean I just was asking that because it always seemed to me anyway that it was contemplated at one fifty four all long, because of his weight and because of your comments after the uh the recent fight.
Yeah, if I that's like, that's like me telling you I might come to a party if I don't show up, I said, I said, Mike, might you know, like I said before, I feel like I got unfinished business at one forty seven. I can't I can't just leader division without without no compassion what I want to complish, you know, and things like that. And I said, like I said, I never I never fought for a ward title. I'm a one forty seven penal champion. I got the ivy of but I never fought for the boat. The boat
was given to me. So you know, I feel like I feel like I'm finally getting what I want and now everything like roll, everything like perfect timing, you know, and things like that.
So I was I was going to ask you about that because you know, obviously you've already shown yourself to uh to be maybe already people. Some people think you're number one at war and forty seven. There are other champions. But like you said, you won the interim belt when you fought to Chikazian, but not the full belt. That was, you know, not your fault because the champion was Terrence Craford. He was moving up to another way class and vacated,
so you took over that mantle. Uh So this, this would be the first time to win real, a real full title if you will in the ring exactly.
And I'm and I'm gonna be able to take it from a champion. So I'm just first time fight for about doubt. You know, like I said, I'm excited this, I'll finally getting what I want. And like I said, I can't leave one forty seven and go go to fifty four and and by what I and I can't leave forty seven without you know, handling my business. And then once I handle my business at forty seven, then I'll go to fifty four.
And right now seven, well, it seems like if you do take out of your business that you're talking about, that the future is immensely bright, whether you're fighting at forty seven or at one fifty four. I wanted to ask you about this, and it's not it's lots of fans talk about this, but it was Turkey al Chic that put this out there and posted to a social media not that long ago, where obviously you have this fight coming up, but he has a big show he's
doing in Times Square in May. Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are on that card. Tiafimo Lopez is on that card, and we all know the deal. If tia Fimo wins, and if if Garcia and Haini both win, they're going to have a rematch in the fall. He would like to have you fight tia Fimo on that same card if ta Fimo also wins. Uh. I just wondered your thoughts about that.
I mean, he he a good fighters, you know, you know all the great fighters you know, and that's a good card. Yeah. Well, like I said before, you I'm I'm like, I'm doubting on one one goal right now, and that's becoming unified the word bringing a thirty B built home and then uh the ring magazine Bill Hayes, I'm believe, believe, not worried about nobody else ouse Saturday. Oh you know, like we could talk about dam right now then almost hand.
Let me ask you then about standing on us in terms of the way the schedules have gone. Uh, I wonder if you know you you have fought, you know, as boxing goes today regularly. You fought two times in twenty twenty three, you fought two times in twenty twenty four, and so you've been you know, act what what goes for active these days? He has been very inactive though he's just had one fight. It's coming off of your layoff when he fights you for the unification, but he's
only had one fight in three years. When he gets in the ring with you, I wonder if you think that that is a significant advantage for you, and just in terms of the you know, the roster, the the timing and all the things that are going to preparing for a significant fight. It's hard enough to fight Boutsenes no matter what Boutsennis that's been active, and you're coming off a long way off. That seems to be a kind of a tough hill to climb.
Yeah, I mean, that's a lot of things that's gonna play the part. You know, this fight is gonna be It's gonna be me, you know, doing what I'm gonna do to him. It's gonna be the crowd, you know. Like I said before, he he fought on big cars, but he never was like the meaning it every time he thought it was no crowds and stuff and things like that. I said. He a great fighter, but a lot of things are gonna play a ficker, uh into this. The crowd, you know, fight week, the media, all the
you know, cameras and a that stuff being around. All the stuff gonna hit the tool. And then once he finally get in the ring with he gonna be like, I think that's switch gonna hit like I dam, I'm finally in the ring with which Boutsen is like, and see what it feel like, you know. And I heard I heard them talking and things like that, saying this is saying that. But you know, we I can't wait. I'm excited, I'm prepared, I'm ready to handle business.
Well, I want to wrap up with this. You mentioned about the crowd. The fight's taking place at Boardwalk Hall. It's a very hallowed, very famous arena for lots of things. But boxing has hosted some huge fights over the years, big mega fights. Mike Tyson, Arturo Gotti, Bernard Hopkins of Vladimir Klitschko, Miguel Coto, Kelly Pavlck, and Jermaine Taylor. I mean, I've covered so many of those fights that could go on and on, but this is as crazy as it sounds.
And I actually had to go look this up because just to make sure. This is going to be the first fight they've had in the main arena at Boardwalk all they've had so I'm in the upstairs arena over the last several years. But it's the first really big championship fight card in the main arena since Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Koval have fought in a light heavyweight unification fight back in twenty fourteen. That is a long time ago, Boots,
I saw. I wondered, just from your point of view, how does it feel to be like the main guy bring in boxing, big time boxing back to this great old arena that is so close to your hometown of Philly.
Uh, It's it's it's phenomenal, you know. Like I say, I actually for at the border in the little room for Roman builda you know, so this is like this is gonna be you know. I had a couple of legendary you know, fights, you know, in La City, and I'm excited to be able to do it in a big arena, a bigger arena, you know, and uh Floyd Ford deer Be for Goutti. There a lot of I think Mickey Ward and Garrity for dere you know, a lot of a lot of legendary fights been you know,
been held at this arena. And I'm I'm ready to right depend on the legendary performance, you know, come come next Saturday. So I think it's it's my turn. Everything like I'm saying, I feel like everything just fall right in the place, perfect time, and uh, I feel like we're gonna have a legendary night, you know, next Surday. I'm ready to show up.
Did you ever, as a younger guy go to any of those fights at border Wal Calls young as a kid? Maybe?
Uh, every fight that I went as a kid was at the smaller one, the smaller venume.
So you're going to be in Boardwalk Calls Maine Arena for the first time as a as as a fighter in the ring, as even though you've been there as a spectator went upstairs.
Yeah, Yeah, it's my first time being in a bigger the bigger room, you know. And uh, I'm excited. Like I said before, a lot of legends came through, you know, and I'm ready to I'm ready to stand my uh my legacy, my my legendary performance on on April, so you know, I'm ready for my my legendary performance in the in the Borough Golf.
Well, I certainly wish you the best of luck in doing so. It's gonna be a big night for you, a big knight for boxing, a big night for standing on us as well. So, Boots, I wish you the best of luck and I really appreciate you doing this today. Thank you so much.
Thank you appreciate it.