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08/22/2007 Archived Entry: "Tavoris Cloud Preps for Herrera and—Soon—a World Championship"
Tavoris Cloud Preps for Herrera and—Soon—a World Championship
By Juan C. Ayllon
Photo by Jorge Bravo
Tavoris Cloud (right) rips a hard right to Tim Shocks
CHICAGO—On Friday night, undefeated light heavyweight prospect Tavoris Cloud will risk all when he climbs into a boxing ring under the ominous dome of the Congress Theatre to face an opponent with a record of 14 knockouts in 14 wins.
At 6’ 1” and with an overall record of 14-3, his opponent, knockout artist Jose Luis Herrera is indeed a threat to Cloud’s record, which stands at 15-0 with 14 knockouts.
However, danger and difficulty is nothing new to Cloud. At 25, he’s honed his 5’ 10” frame into a black, chiseled 175-pound weapon that dispatches opponents with frightening bursts of raw violence. It’s been a long time coming. The second of five kids—with two sisters and two brothers—to single parent Emma Smith, Tavoris grew up in Tallahassee and Quincy, Florida neighborhoods. In 1998 at age 16, Cloud turned to boxing to avoid the pitfalls of the rugged streets.
“If it wasn’t for boxing, I probably would have gone down the wrong path,” says Cloud. “I’m thankful for the Tallahassee Fighting Tigers Boxing Gym. Nobody really got me going in boxing. It was a decision I made for myself. I just wanted to do something besides staying around the house all day and watching other people making money the illegal way. It was a pretty rough neighborhood when I got started.”
It wasn’t long before Cloud got noticed. Successful at the amateur nationals, he won his first professional bout on April 2, 2004 by third round technical knockout over one Luis Reyes.
He boxes full-time, thanks to businessmen Jerry Attardi and Michael Giorango, who manage Cloud. Together, they run a company called “18 Boxing.” The uncle of Don King fighter trainer Al Bonani, Attardi has managed championship fighters like Freddy Pendleton, Baby Sugar Rojas, and Uriah Grant. According to Bonani, Attardi and Giorango also currently manage Chicago heavyweight contender Mike Mollo. Both partners have solid business credentials outside of boxing. Attardi runs a construction company out of Miami, Florida established in 1949, owns sports bars in Pittsburgh, and does real estate development in Miami with Giorango. Giorango is involved in real estate development full-time.
Roused from a post-training nap this Wednesday evening, Tavoris Cloud graciously spoke with me via an exclusive telephone interview. His trainer, Al Bonani, joined the interview at the end.
First, Tavoris talks about Friday’s fight versus Herrera:
I’m in great shape for this fight. I don’t have a problem with fighting taller guys, cause I fought taller guys all my career and his punching power don’t bother me none. He can’t hit what he can’t see. I’m just going to go out there and out-box him pretty much. I’ll just say that I’m the superior fighter. And, I’m going to hit, and not get hit. That’s the name of the game.
On his amateur experience:
I was “Under-19 National Champion” in 2000, fought in the Under 19 World [championships] 2000, and I was runner-up at the U.S. Men’s National Championship in 2002. I fought in the Golden Gloves. I fought in all the national tournaments. I slowly built myself up. When I first started, I wouldn’t advance that far in Nationals, but as I stayed in the game, I started advancing farther and farther.
I remember going to the Golden Gloves in Detroit, Michigan and I lost a fight to Allan Green in the National Golden Gloves. It was a controversial decision.
On supporting himself and his family:
My management, they take very good care of me. I box full-time. I don’t work. I was going to school and I’m in the process of getting back in school right now. Right now, I’m going to try and finish my A.A. [i.e., Associates degree]. And, I’ll take it from there—just take it one step at a time. I’ll just start taking classes, get my A.A., and I’ll think about going to a major university.
But the main thing is I don’t squander my money. I do what I’m supposed to do with my money. I bring my money home and invest it wisely. I invest it in my family [laughs], yeah, not at strip clubs, not at the bar.
I’ve been married two years [to Eileen]. I was in camp for my second anniversary—the 27th of July. We met in the boxing gym. Her little nephew ran in the boxing gym one day. That’s how I met her. I have a two-year old daughter…E’lisha.
On his boxing goals:
As far as boxing goes, I want to be the undisputed light heavyweight champion. I wouldn’t be boxing if I didn’t think I could be a world champion, you know? I’m not out here just to be fighting. I’m out here with goals in mind—you know, to win fights and get to the world championship. My timeline is very soon, very soon.
On his fighting style:
I’m a pressure fighter. Pressure fighter: I keep coming, keep coming, keep coming. And, you know, talking about my style, a lot of people don’t know is that I can box, but I just haven’t had the chance to show it yet. But, I haven’t had to box so far.
My favorite punch is the left hook to the body.
I seem to recall that you used that on Tim Shocks pretty well.
[Cloud chuckles]
You were banging away and he had this cocky attitude. And all the sudden, he wasn’t laughing any more. He was on the ground.
Oh, you was at that fight?
Yep, ringside.
Well, that’s his problem. [Chuckles]
On what contributes to his punching power:
I’ve been at this weight for nine years. I think that contributes to it—and the fact that I train really hard.
Do you lift weights?
No, I don’t. I used to lift weights, but I haven’t lift[ed] weights in like two or three years. I stopped liftin’ them because I was steady putting on muscle, so it was making it hard for me to make [the] 175 [bodyweight limit]. So, I stopped liftin’ them.
I just do calisthenics now.
On how Cloud sees Friday’s fight going:
Ah, it’ll end in a victory, most definitely.
Just keep watchin’. Just keep watchin’. Don’t sleep on Tavoris Cloud. Don’t go to sleep on Tavoris Cloud. You can’t sleep on this dude. Just keep watching.
Cloud’s trainer, Al Bonani, comes on the phone and shares his thoughts on Tavoris Cloud.
I’ve trained nine world champions. And, you know, I’ve been with Don King as a trainer-coordinator, like he’s been my friend for 30 years, and you know, I think I’m qualified to say that he’s one of the top prospects in boxing currently. And I think he could fight anybody in the world right now.
Are you having him spar with any names right now?
He has sparred with [Jean-Marc] Mormeck—who I co-trained and I still work with Mormeck as a cutman—the Cruiserweight WBA Champion. He didn’t spar with him for this fight. He sparred with the light heavyweight former champion, Glen Johnson. He sparred with James Toney. None of these guys for this fight, but he’s been in there with some good sparring. He always does well! You know, he does well in the ring and he does well in sparring.
I think he’s one of the top light heavyweights in the world. And he’s still maturing and he’s young, but I think he’s one of the top light heavyweights in the world. I mean he’s got a ranking now by all the organizations except for the WBA, I believe; he’s ranked in the top 20 of the [W]BC, he’s ranked number 15 in the WBO, he’s ranked number 12 in the IBF. So, he’s ranked very high in all the organizations.
I think we’re going to keep fighting him here on Dominic’s shows. My uncle’s partners here in Chicago, we sell a lot of tickets, and Dominic Pesoli is a good friend of ours, and we’ve been picking opponents for him.
This is, by the way, I think is probably his toughest fight that he’s had, with this guy. I don’t think he’s the best fighter that we’ve fought, but, he’s probably the hardest puncher we’ve fought.
Obviously, we don’t want to get hit by any of his power. He’s a big guy. He’s probably 6’ 1”, 6’ 2”, and we don’t want to get hit with his power. The idea in boxing is to hit and not get hit. And, we punch pretty good, too, so you know. It’s going to be an exciting fight, as long as it lasts. But, all I want to tell you is whether we go the distance or whether we knock him out, we win.
