Heavyweight contender Manuel Quezada 28-4 (18) is a man on a mission, his goal is to make history by doing what Chris Arreola couldn’t do against Vitali Klitschko, and that is to become the first Mexican American heavyweight champion.
So far in his quest to become the best, Quezada has defeated the likes Rick Dyer (2nd R. KO), Teke Oruh (UD) and stunned the fight world in his last outing by blasting heavy hitting Travis Walker in the opening round. His journey continues October 22nd, when Quezada takes on Nicolai Firtha 16-6-1 (7) at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, CA.
In this exclusive interview conducted by Convicted Artist, Manuel speaks out on his upcoming match-up and touches on his future in the heavyweight division, enjoy.
Benny Henderson Jr.
First off, thanks again for speaking with Convicted Artist Magazine, what has been going down in your world my brother?
Manuel Quezada
Not a problem man, thank you, well, not much man, just trying to get ready and do this thing. My buddy Chris couldn’t do it, so hopefully I can get a shot at the title.
BH
I actually had a question on the Arreola vs. Klitschko fight, we will go ahead and touch on that now. Chris was honestly touted by a lot of people to be the next American champ, he was recently defeated by Vitali Klitschko, your thoughts on that fight and Chris’s performance.
MQ
I give Chris a lot of credit for going out there and doing what he did, I wish he would of done a little more, but don’t get me wrong, Klitschko is a bad dude.
BH
Where does that leave you, Chris was slated to become the first Mexican heavyweight champ, so with you continuing with the wins that kind of opens the door for you to make that history.
MQ
That would be great, nothing against Chris I do not take anything away from the guy, and a hell of a fighter, he got his chance and lost, so hopefully we can get our chance now.
BH
You return to the ring the 22nd of this month facing Nicolai Firtha, what do you know about this cat, and what are you expecting from this guy?
MQ
I do not know to much about this guy, but I expect him to come out and fight, I don’t take nobody lightly, when you step in the ring both fighters are there to win. So I am in the gym busting my butt, I expect a good fight, we are doing everything so everything is looking good.
BH
You had the big win over Travis Walker, what had that done for your life and career?
MQ
It has not changed me, just changed me in the rankings.
BH
All bull aside, do you feel you can be the first Mexican American heavyweight champion?
MQ
I honestly feel that I can be, I am one of those sleeper guys, a lot of people really don’t know me and I am fine with that. Slowly they will be getting to know me, with the win over Walker, and my team behind me working hard people are going to know who I am. I honestly feel people may not respect me as a fighter, but that is fine because once I step in the ring they will see that I can fight. I have good training.
I honestly believe it will happen, Chris got his shot, what happened, happened, so hopefully I can get my shot. I believe that the Goossen’s will get me that chance as long as I keep training hard and winning.
BH
What is the one thing that separates you from the rest of the heavyweight division?
(Publicist) Mario Serrano
I think he is real relaxed in the ring, that carries his energy to the later rounds, so he is able to carry his power as well. That is the first thing that comes to my mind.
Manuel Quezada
You are correct on that, I think another thing is that I get good training, I get good sparring, so I feel like when I get into the ring, I know that I am not going to see anything that I haven’t seen in the gym. So I will no be surprised, and like Mario said I stay real relaxed, I try to fight my fight and make my opponent fight my fight. Hopefully people will get to know me real soon.
BH
If you could send out a message to the fight world concerning you and where you stand amongst the heavyweight division, what would that message be?
MQ
Don’t under estimate me, because I can fight! I really can, I might not be the biggest heavyweight out there but I am tough, I am going to give it my all. I fight for my kids and my family, and I fight for me. I am going to give it my all when I am in the ring.
BH
In closing of this interview, is there anything that either one of you would like to add?
Mario Serrano
I think this is great for the fans, that they are able to see Manuel fight again in their arena, give great props to the Goossen’s for bring Quezada back to the Tachi Palace. With the win I am sure Manuel will climb up the rankings again and get that title shot. It is going to be a great card, a great card for the fans.
Manuel Quezada
I just want to thank everybody that is going to come out to the fight, all the fans and family that have been supporting me. Especially know with how things are in the economy, I just appreciate it when us fighters can get in the ring and fight or hearts out and these people are there, paying their hard earned money for the tickets. Hopefully we will not let them down, we are going to put on a good show for them.
I would like to thank Mario Serrano for setting up this interview, and a thanks goes out to Manuel Quezada for his time and thoughts.
Questions or comments, shoot me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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