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10/13/2004 Archived Entry: "David Estrada Predicts Stoppage Victory Over Michael Walker This Friday!"
David Estrada Predicts Stoppage Victory Over Michael Walker This Friday at Hawthorne Race Course!
By Juan C. Ayllon
David Estrada nails Shay Mobley with a heavy right enroute to a stoppage victory last June
(Chicago, Illinois): Upcoming middleweight fighter, David Estrada is more than excited. He’s effusive. On Friday, October 15, David “The Weezel” Estrada (6-1-0, 4 KO’s) will take on Michael “The Midnight Stalker” Walker (4-0-0. 4 KOs) at Hawthorne Race Course. Although the nationally televised event is packed with exciting fighters, including former world champion Cesar Bazan, hard-hitting Illinois State Middleweight Champion "Macho" Miguel Hernandez and welterweight knockout artist Luciano “El Gallo Bravo” Perez, this bout looks to be the event of the evening. Unfortunately, it is also a swing bout, which means that it may or may not make it onto Telefutura’s broadcast. Either way, the fans at Hawthorne should be in for a treat.
In an exclusive interview for the Cyber Boxing Zone, a very enthusiastic and talkative David Estrada talked about this fight as well as his career.
On this fight:
I’m getting pumped up for this fight this Friday! If I could fight tonight, I would, but I can’t! I’m ready to make all the daughters wrong. Letting them know that I can win this fight; people that think I can’t win this fight, that it’s too early to take this fight. I figure that it’s better to fight him now than later when he has more experience.
This is personal. We fought in the amateurs before and he beat me, but I lost those bouts, he didn’t beat me. He’s been talking a lot of trash, saying that I don’t want to fight him and want to duck him. There’s no one ducking anyone here. I’ve been fighting for three years and it’s not easy to get fights, I’ve got to step it up.
No one will fight him right now; he’s a game fighter. No one will fight him unless they’re a bum fighter and want to lose. This is a gutsy fight. He went to the [Golden Gloves] Nationals and has lots of amateur experience. He hasn’t been where I’ve been. We’ve fought five times in the amateurs and he won three times and I beat him twice. Those three losses, some said I won; I’m a man; but these aren’t scored on pitty-pat punches. I like to sit down on my punches.
It’s going to tell me where I stand, should I go on; the fights aren’t going to get any easier; they’re going to get harder. This fight’s going to be hard if I let it get hard. I’ve got to beat guys like this; he’s not a pushover; he’s got 4-0 with 4 KOs.
He’s going to have to get past my left jab. If he gets past it, he’s going to have to get past the right hand. If he passes that, he’s going to have to look out for the left. My punches are like Nyquil; they’ll put you to sleep. I’m more dangerous than unprotected sex and that’s pretty dangerous!
Walker’s not going to be able to make the weight; right now I’m 161 walking around. They said the fight's going to be at 159 plus one. From what I hear, he’s 164. I’m going to make him make the weight!
[Former opponent] Mobley didn’t make the weight and he was two pounds over, I still fought him. Teddy Atlas said he looked like the bigger fighter. But, I was the bigger puncher!
I’m going to go in here and box. I’m not going to go in there and exchange with him in a phone booth and fight his fight. I will get to him and not get hit; I feel a third round stoppage. Am I going to look for it? No, it’s just going to happen.
I’m 28 years old and I need fights like this. This is going to be my third TV fight. This is going to be great. I’ve been getting great opportunities. It’s going to open up doors for me. By beating fighters like this, I will move up.
This fight should be the main event. I wanted this fight so bad, I even take a pay cut! But you know what, I’ve got a paycheck. I worked with the matchmaker and the promoter because I think they’ll take care of me down the line. I’m not here to lose or to be an opponent.
I took this fight because I know I can win this fight. I took this fight because I’m in shape, it’s personal and I know I can beat him; if I didn’t, I wouldn’t take this fight. And I will win and I will win this fight impressively.
On his preparation for this fight:
I sparred with Luciano [Perez], Freddy Cuevas; Rudy Cisneros—[a] good amateur who’s got good hooks to the body, he goes to the body really good, Luciano throws a good overhand right and good hooks to the body—he’s a strong guy; his record says it all. I sparred with George Pacheco who’s won the Golden Gloves four times; Jermaine “Silky Smooth" Sanders; Eddy Pirreh, he may fight J.C. Candello next; Donavan George is getting better every day; Scott Harris still an amateur but he’s really big, about 178.
My nose is still a little sore, but I’ll be fine by fight time.
My coach George Hernandez has been pushing me, working with me one on one, giving me the attention that I need. Glen and Julie Peavey, personal trainers—they’re out of Waukegan—working with me with strength and conditioning.
My chiropractor, David C. Smith’s got me aligned. He put me together. I owe him so much. He works with UFC guys. He is the fight doctor for the UFC—Pat Milletich, Tito Ortiz, Rico Rodriguez, Bas Rutten, Chuck Liddell, he deals with them all!
I’ve got discipline, conditioning and I’m coachable; I’m a good listener. You can tell me one thing and the next day I’ve got it down.
On his style:
Marvelous Marvin Hagler gave me good props; Teddy Atlas told me that I have good power in my tall lanky body.
I’ve got a good upper right hand, a good uppercut, a good jab a good hook to the body, good head movement, height, reach. I was made for boxing. Some people have it, some don’t. Nobody can beat me but me. I’m 28 years old and I’m still looking good.
I know what my weaknesses are—I cover up, I don’t throw enough punches—but I’ve got to believe in me. If you go into the fight thinking you’re going to lose, you’re going to lose. If you go in doubting yourself, you’re going to lose.
I’m not a boring fighter; I’m not here to please the crowd, but I give them a good fight. I’m there to fight for me but at the same time I please the crowd.
I’m like a shark; when I see blood, I’m a good finisher.
On possible distractions:
I have a lot of distractions. I am in EMT school [i.e., Emergency Medical Technician], I just finished moving. I’ve got school. But, I won’t let that get in the way. I’m very focused right now.
On his outlook on life:
I told Teddy Atlas that I want to be someone. Teddy Atlas said, “Stop right there; you are someone.” That stuck with me.
I want to help people. I’m a good person, you’ll see. I’m a character, I’m funny and I’ve got personality. I’ve got my nipples, my eyebrow and my navel pierced. I’m the Dennis Rodman of boxing. I’m not gay, but I like getting the attention. I’m dating someone right now.
Like Muhammad Ali once said, “I’m so quick that I can turn out the lights and be in bed before it gets dark.” You have to believe in yourself. I believe in myself; because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t take this fight.
On his future:
I don’t want to be like these Windy City fighters who have records like 40-0 but people say yeah, but who’s he fought? Chicago is a big city, they don’t produce no champions. How come we haven’t produced a champion yet? I want to be there. Andrew Golotta’s a good fighter. Angel Manfredy trained here in Chicago. Angel Hernandez had the NABF title when he fought J.C. Candello. Montell Griffin was from Chicago. I want to be up there and get my chance.
I want people to know me; you say Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones, people know them. You say Gatti, people get excited, Mickey Ward, "Fighter of the Year." I want to have that name recognition!
My ultimate goal is to become a world champion. I want to give it a shot now. I don’t want to wait five years and have regrets. I don’t want to be like Holyfield who doesn’t know when to get out. I want to give it a shot and do my best. I want to be an elite fighter, guys you mention they’re name—Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad—people know them. When you’re winning, everyone loves you; when you’re losing, nobody loves you. When you’re rich, everybody loves you; when you don’t have money, nobody knows you!
This fight is going to raise my stock and open up doors. Telefutura’s got better ratings than Showtime, HBO, one of the highest ratings, if not the highest ratings in the world—43.1 or something like that.
I hope I fight for a title in the next year and a half; I don’t want to rush, but I’m 28 years old. I won’t fight someone I don’t think I’m going to beat; why would I fight someone I’m not at that level yet for? I’m in this to make money and become a champion. Maybe fight for a small belt; maybe a little state belt which isn’t big, but we’ll see what happens, maybe by the end or beginning of 2005. We’ll see; everything’s possible. In Illinois, I can beat everyone at 154 or 160. But not just here, anywhere!
On the Multiple Belts in Boxing:
The real belts are the WBC, the IBF and maybe the WBA. Today, everyone’s a champion!
On how he got started in boxing:
I always knew how to fight, but I started late at 21.But I went to this one night club called Tropicana; it was an underground fight club. I always knew how to fight, but I was scared. I fought a guy who was short and very strong and I knocked him out. I never had a street fight. I wanted to prove a point and knocked him out, a Puerto Rican stud.
I went to Hamlin Park and got trained by Bill Heglin, the best coach ever and taught me the basics, the one-two, put all the pieces together. He got me to boxing. God first, everything else falls in place. God is the one who’s given me the strength and the power. I’ve got good people behind me—a good chiropractor, a good trainer and strength coach.
On his toughest fight:
All of my fights [have] been tough. There’s no fight that’s easy. All fighters can be knocked out. Anyone can get knocked out. Just because this guy’s got a record of five wins and 100 losses, doesn’t mean that they’re easy. Anyone can get knocked out on any given night. I’ll have to say my bout versus Alberto Mercedes, where I broke my hand [Editor’s note: this was his lone loss, a six round unanimous decision loss; Mercedes’ record was 9-5-1 at the time].
This guy fought a lot of tough fighters like Frankie “The Surgeon” Randall. I fought with a broken hand that I broke in the second round and I fought with one hand the rest of the fight. They’ve all been tough, but I would say the one I lost [was the toughest].
Shay Mobley [who lost to Estrada by sixth round TKO last June] was tough. My third fight was tough. They’ve all been tough. It all depends on how you train, your lifestyle and how you take care of your body. I’m a gym rat; I stay in the gym. I don’t let myself go.
Closing remarks:
I’m ready for this fight; it’s going to show out there. I’m going to back up this fight and let my hands do my talking for me. This fight’s going to be the ‘South Side (i.e., Michael Walker) versus the North Side’ (i.e., David Estrada); like the [north side Chicago] Cubs versus the White Sox; the North Side is going to win!
Photo by Edward Zajac
