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01/26/2006 Archived Entry: "Mike Michael: Mike Arnaoutis Blew Through Sparring Partners Prepping for Friday's Title Defense vs. Marc Thompson!"
Mike Michael: Mike Arnaoutis Blew Through Sparring Partners Prepping for Friday's Title Defense vs. Marc Thompson!
By Juan C. Ayllon
Photo by Cestus Management
ATLANTIC CITY—They may as well yell out “Opah,” as like the popular Greek flaming cheese appetizer, Saganaki, light welterweight WBO/NABO Light Welterweight Champion “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis is a man on fire. Furiously preparing for his upcoming title defense against undefeated Marc Thompson this Friday, his newfound intensity has been sending sparring partners home early. Good for him, bad for bruised sparring partners.
The question remains, can his opponent, Marc Thompson—with a record of 14-0 with 12 knockouts—snuff out his flame?
Hailing from Athens, Greece, Mike Arnaoutis is an exciting, up and coming undefeated fighter in the junior welterweight division with a record of 14-0-2, 6 knockouts, and a disputed draw with hot prospect Juan Urango, as well as his WBO title. Already featured four times on Showtime, he is gunning for world title honors in the next year or so. However, he first has to get past this test Friday night.
As Arnaoutis was unavailable for the interview, Mike Michael of his exclusive management team, Cestus Management, spoke with the Cyber Boxing Zone.
JUAN AYLLON: Tell us about your dilemma with sparring partners.
MIKE MICHAEL: We’ve had to fly in some sparring partners because Mike’s been going through all the guys. He’s just eating them up like hot cakes! You know what I mean? Basically, what’s happened, Juan is Mike is improving tremendously. [With] his technical ability now, I believe, he can fight Miguel Cotto now and he can beat him, with the way he’s improved.
He’s got a lot stronger, his punching power is getting brutal now, and because of his strength and his punching power now, his sparring partners are not able to stay with him! So, we’ve had to fly other people in, we’ve had to get other people in. A strange thing has happened where people spar with Mike and then they’re supposed to do one or two more sparring sessions and they don’t come back!
JA: What have you been focusing on in the last few weeks of training?
MM: Well, basically, all we’ve been doing, we’ve been sharpening up on finishing preparation. We’ve been finishing up preparation, sharpening up, making weight and everything. So, basically, we’re okay. Everything’s okay, and we’re ready for action.
JA: Any concerns about Thompson?
MM: Well, Juan, we don’t really know too much about him. We anticipate that he’s going to come and really try. Now, we just have to deal with it, as well as the reaction, you know?
Nobody seems to know much about this guy, you know what I’m saying? We’re always concerned with everybody that we dwell in that way [with]. We’re always concerned until the actual fight’s over. He’s not taking the fight lightly. You know that, don’t you?
We’ve prepared, we’re ready, as we always do. We can’t do no more than what we’ve already done. We’re in shape, we’ll win the fight, and that’s the bottom line.
JA: What’s next, assuming all goes well?
MM: Well, God willing, tomorrow, everything comes out the way we want it. Okay? And we’re just going to sit there with everybody and see where we’re going to come out next. Likely, we’ll be back out in March or the beginning of April.
And then, we’ll see. It’s not who we want to fight, but who we can get to fight! That’s the thing.
We’d like to fight Bruseles. I’ve been after that fight for quite a while. [There's also] Acelino Freitas, if they want to step up for that one. You know, we would do that one, as well. I’m not too confident that they would want a fight like that. Basically, whoever we can get that means something, we’ll fight.
JA: Any last thoughts?
MM: To our fans that support us, okay, we’re always ready, able and willing and we’re going to give a wonderful performance tomorrow, and we’re not going to let them down. Basically, without them, we can’t do this.
Mike Arnaoutis will appear on the Pay Per View production, “Collision Course, A Night of Champions,” Friday night. “Collision Course” is promoted by Star Boxing, and presented by Silverhawk Boxing, Guilty Boxing, and Xyience. The special pay-per-view event is offered in the United States, Canada, France, Russia, Indonesia and Greece at a suggested retail price of only $24.95. The PPV show, starting at 9 PM/ET, may be ordered by contacting local cable television providers (televised on In Demand, TVN, Viewers Choice Canada, Star Choice and Shaw Communications).
