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03/26/2008 Archived Entry: "Blue Skies Ahead: Cloud Predicts Win This Friday, World Title Down the Line!"
Blue Skies Ahead: Cloud Predicts Win This Friday, World Title Down the Line!
Photos and report by Juan C. Ayllon
Tavoris Cloud (left) stalks Jose Luis Herrera as referee John O'Brien looks on
CHICAGO—He’s described himself at various times as a pressure fighter and a boxer-puncher, and at 17-0 with 16 knockouts, Tavoris Cloud, 26, would be correct on both counts. Bottom line, he can fight—and excite—in his quest for a world title.
Compact and muscular at 5’ 10”, Cloud’s resembles a 175 lb. version of all-time great 1980’s middleweight champion “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler clad in tiger-striped trunks—except Cloud has all his hair. Come to think of it, stylistically, there’s some similarity, as well: both pack solid fundamentals and chins with a flair for the dramatic once the bell rings.
On the night of August 24, 2007, Cloud overcame some heavy bombs and a cut over his left eye to systematically break down, bludgeon and stop dangerous puncher Jose Luis Herrera (14-3 with 14 KO's prior to their bout) in the fifth round at the Congress Theatre in Chicago.
With blood spurting from a cut over his left eye, Cloud attacks Herrera
Friday night under the bright lights of the Aragon Ballroom, Cloud will bring his noted attributes and talents to bear on 25 year-old Mike Wood (19-6, 11 KO’s), whom he faces for the USBA, NABA and NABO Light Heavyweight titles.
Boxing in the limelight is a far cry from his humble beginnings. With two sisters and brothers each, he’s the second child of single parent Emma Smith. Growing up in Tallahassee and Quincy, Florida neighborhoods, 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. I just wanted to do something besides staying around the house all day and watching other people making money the illegal way.”
Good call. Working hard and steady at his craft, he found success in the amateurs.
“I was ‘Under-19 National Champion’ in 2000, fought in the ‘Under 19 World 2000,’ and I was runner-up at the U.S. Men’s National Championship in 2002,” says Cloud. “I fought in the Golden Gloves, I fought in all the national tournaments, [and] 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.”
Then, on April 2, 2004, he won his first professional bout by third round technical knockout over one Luis Reyes. It’s been a strong and steady rise ever since.
Cloud boxes full-time, thanks to managers Jerry Attardi and Michael Giorango. Al Bonani serves as trainer. Attardi has managed championship fighters like Freddy Pendleton, Baby Sugar Rojas, and Uriah Grant. Both managers 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, while Giorango is involved in real estate development full-time. Chicago’s Dominic Pesoli, president of 8 Count Productions, promotes Cloud.
A family man, Cloud is working toward his Associates degree in college to provide a solid future once his career in boxing is over.
Talking by telephone from Florida, Tavoris shared his thoughts on training, his upcoming fight, and his aspirations.
On training for Friday’s fight:
Training is going good. I’m ready to get to Chicago for the big show. I’m ready to do it.
I trained a lot harder. I trained a lot longer for this fight. I’m in great shape. I’m physically and mentally prepared, and I’m ready to go.
It doesn’t mean I did anything different as far as training-wise, it just means I did it for longer. I did it for a longer period of time than I ever did before. This is the longest camp I had, like eight and a half weeks. [Normally, it’s] five, six weeks.
For this camp, I ran at least six miles every day. We got some sprints in every now and then early in the camp. No particular pace; I run for time. I try to do it under eight minutes—under an eight minute mile. So, six miles, that’s 48 minutes. I try to the six in under 48 minutes.
No weights. Just calisthenics, that’s it.
I spent nearly every hour of the day with Al Bonani. I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with him—I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with Al so I couldn’t cheat on my diet or anything like that.
We’d go to the gym like nine o’clock in the morning, you know, training hard. After that, we eat lunch, and I go to sleep. Then, I get up and do my roadwork. We eat dinner, and that’s it. We keep going every day like that. That’s how it is.
I spent this whole camp in Miami—not at Don King’s facilities, just something my trainers and managers put together themselves. We made it work for training camp.
On sparring for this bout:
I’ve been sparring Jesus Valverde; he’s a fighter on the undercard for this fight, and I think he has to fight a dude named Porter, I believe. [Valverde’s] a tough dude—a 168-pounder with a lot of experience. I’ve been sparring with him, and I sparred with a couple fighters from the local gym, but nobody with a name or anything like that.
Rounds a day? It all depends. We don’t spar hard—spar a lot of rounds—every day, but some days we go 12 [rounds], some days we go six, some days we go four—whatever we feel we need.
On his down time during camp:
It’s very few days in camp when I’m not actually training, but when I do have time to relax, I get on the Internet, look at TV, you know, listen to CD’s, listen to music…I listen to all kinds of music: Rap, Gospel, R & B, everything.
And when he’s not training:
When I’m not in camp, I do a lot of fishing…just regular fishing—fresh water. And I go to the beach, you know, barbecuing. I spend a lot of time with my family, family get-togethers and stuff like that. I’m away from home so much, it’s important for me to get quality time in with my family when I’m at home.
On his daughter, Elisha:
She’s doing good. She’s just being a kid—she’s two years old.
On the titles he’s fighting for and what that may mean for his world title aspirations:
At first, it was just the USBA title, I believe, and we was training for that, and it just so happened that a couple more titles came along on the way. I think we fighting for the USBA, the NABO and NABA, I believe.
After this fight—you know, all goes well—I heard talk about maybe challenging and fighting for the number one spot next. You know, everybody in the Top 10 has a chance of being picked by the champion to defend his title and stuff like that. [If] we win these titles, it’ll open up a lot of doors for me—a lot more opportunities, so.
Hopefully, I’m going to fight for a world title by the end of this year or early next year, or definitely fight for a number one spot by the end of this year, if all goes well.
Any prediction? Yeah, I’ll be world champion at least by the end of next year.
On the style that brings him success:
I would describe myself as a boxer/puncher. I could do both: I can box when I have to, and I have power with both hands. I don’t choose to box. You know, if I can get my opponent out of there, I’ll definitely get him out of there.
On his college education and his plans after boxing:
I’m still trying, but right now, I’m completely focused on this fight. You know, that’s still one of my long-term goals, to complete my Associates degree, and possibly go on a Bachelors and Masters. You know, keep going and going.
Maybe I’ll be a doc. You know (chuckles), if I’m a go to college, hey why not do it big? I’ll go to be a doc. Go do it big, go be a doc!
On whether or not faith plays a role in his life:
Yeah, I try to go to church as much as I can. You know, the church is the body and…I’m not a real religious person, but I’m more of a spiritual person. I know how to stay—I stay close with God my own way, not through the way that man say that we have to stay close to God.
On his prediction for this Friday’s fight versus Mike Wood:
For Friday, I’m taking the win any way it come—by decision or knockout.
Cloud poses for the camera with his corner after his dramatic victory over Herrera
* * *
With his exciting style, talent and chin, his prognosis sounds reasonable. Indeed, long and short-term, blue skies may lie ahead for Tavoris Cloud. See you at the fights!
