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02/14/2005 Archived Entry: "Fres Oquendo Looks Forward to Call and—Hopefully—Fighting May 21st"
Fres Oquendo Looks Forward to Call and—Hopefully—Fighting May 21st
By Juan C. Ayllon
Fres Oquendo
CHICAGO, IL – Heavyweight contender, Fres Oquendo, is a family man who makes his living fighting. The only problem is, he has not fought since April 17, 2004. Scarcely a month ago, Oquendo was looking to get out of his contract with Don King, promoter of this fight card. Even as fellow Chicago fighter, Andrew Golota was granted an unprecedented third straight shot at a heavyweight title in a row—and his fourth overall—Oquendo’s career sat idle, shelved as it were. Upset, Oquendo directed his lawyer to fax a letter in January demanding release from his contract with King. Their request went unanswered.
What a difference a day makes, or so it would seem. Fast forward to the beginning of February: word got out that Oquendo was slated to fight on the under card of the Golota-Brewster heavyweight championship being held at Chicago's United Center. It was there for all to see in the sports pages of the Chicago Tribune. Happy days were here again for Oquendo, even if he merely heard about it second hand.
Initially slated for April 16, the bouts have been moved to May 21st due to an alleged scheduling conflict at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls basketball team. Whereas Oquendo relishes the opportunity, according to him, both he and his lawyer have yet to hear officially from Don King.
As odd as it seems, apparently this is not an uncommon occurrence in boxing. In fact, a number of months ago, local cruiserweight Chris Riley was surprised when informed by this writer that he was scheduled to fight on a local fight card; it was already listed on the promoter’s website, but somehow, someone forgot to tell him.
Shuttling from a friend’s house off of Lakeshore Dive en route to his workout, Fres Oquendo shared a few thoughts about the upcoming match with the Cyber Boxing Zone.
On whom he is fighting:
FRES OQUENDO: I read in USA Today that I will be fighting on May 21st. Supposedly, it will probably be against Michael Moorer, who stopped Vasili Jirov. It will be good to be fighting again!
On sparring and training:
FO: I will be up at JABB Gym sparring with Carl Davis. I’m just trying to stay in shape and get ready for the fight.
On the status of communications with Don King:
FO: We’re still waiting to hear from Don King. He probably called my old manager, who I’m no longer with. Give me a call next week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday around this time. I should have something more concrete to tell you.
Parting Comments:
FO: Be sure and say hello to my friends in Puerto Rico, Panama and Nicaragua!
