“Oh man, my fire has to constantly always stay burning,” he said. “I think for the fact that I haven’t been world champion yet that my fire is still going. I don’t feel that I have lost that fire. That motivation to go out and win it. I was definitely ready to fight when we were supposed to fight under the Victor Ortiz under card but he wasn’t ready to fight for whatever reason. But I felt I was the victim, the one that got the bad end of it when it wasn’t even me who backed out of the fight. Chris John was still at the fight. I didn’t want to show my face at the fight just for the simple fact that they were trying to match me up with an opponent that I didn’t train for. But you know, I feel I’m going to be at the top. I have a world championship on my way and I will finally get the respect and the way I should be treated.”
Originally, the John rematch was scheduled for June as the co-feature to Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana. But John took ill and was unable to fight that night. For Juarez it was a huge disappointment. He had a good camp, in his mind had fixed many of the mistakes of the first fight and was ready to go get his title. Then the fight got postponed with just one week to go.
“It’s a big letdown,” he admits. “It’s a big letdown knowing that the fight was one week away. Every fighter knows that that last week is just a weight issue. Being in shape which I was already in, it was just a weight issue. My weight was good. That’s the hard part. That’s the finishing part I guess you could say. And it was just a big letdown for the fact that you know I don’t get paid as well as I don’t get to fight for the title. I’m just glad I’m just getting the opportunity to fight him again. And fight for a world title again. We’re one week away. And I’m just hoping and praying that what happened last time doesn’t happen again.”
With so much extra time to think about the fight and train for every possible outcome, Juarez says in his mind’s eye, he sees the fight going only one way.
“Well, you know, I feel like I want to knock him out, you know?” he says candidly. “I see that in my head and I think ‘knockout.’ But I trained real hard for this fight. I know my conditioning is good. My weight is good. However the way it comes, you know I just need to go out there and get it. Knockout? Even better. But I am prepared to go all twelve rounds and win the title.”
There was some criticism in the first fight that Juarez, who hails from Houston, got a bit of a gift in getting the draw. John certainly felt he won the first fight but much like the Paulie Malignaggi/Juan Diaz fight a few weeks back, their contrasting styles make for a ‘what do you prefer” type of fight though it has to be said that in a fight like that, the benefit of the doubt can sometimes come down on the side of the hometown hero.
“I think [politics] exist everywhere,” says Juarez. “There’s always the politics. I was there at that fight. I think everyone is open to their own opinion. I feel Paulie Malignaggi spoke his thoughts and he had a good reason. There was one judge who was way off more than the other judges. I was at that fight and in my opinion, I thought Diaz won the fight. I think Diaz was just more aggressive. He didn’t look as impressive as he wanted to look but who ever does look impressive against Paulie Malignaggi? He’s a tough guy. He has a lot of heart. He’s very durable and can take a good punch. He’s slippery, you know? A good fighter. {Malignaggi] made a good point and he fought a good fight. And I think he is definitely going to have more big fights that come to him.”
So now it comes down to Saturday and his sixth try at a world title. Will it be the charm? Who knows? But one thing is certain: should he win, Juarez will have fulfilled what he feels is his lifelong destiny and a promise he made a long time ago. All the hard work, pain, and struggles will have paid off and be worth it.
“I have so many things I could think about,” said Juarez when asked what it would mean to him to finally win the big one. “First of all, I think about my son. If he gets older, he can always say his father was a world champion. My son is definitely going to be proud of me with a title or without a title. Just for the fact that I tried to reach my goals. I’m a good father. My family comes first. But more than anything, I would love to do it for my grandfather. I promised him I would be world champion one day. He’s no longer with of us but if I won the title it would mean so much to me to visit his grave and show him the belt. It would mean everything.”
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