Congrats on the big win…Would you say this was the best performance of your career?

RG: So far, I'd have to say yea. I mean, we had a game plan, I executed it and I did a lot of stuff in there I usually don't do.

So have the doubters officially been silenced?

RG: Yea, officially I think the doubters have been shushed. But there's always somebody out there. So you keep on going and stay working hard.

You had a clear game plan in the fight… you would move in with your jab and throw a couple of shots, push him left and move to your right. How did that come about?

RG: Yea, breaking Klassen down, watching his film, we knew if we circled to the right and worked behind the jab, and always stayed first… it gives him a lot of trouble and that's one of the things watching him fighting right handed fighters. When they did circle to the right, it gave him a lot of trouble. And for left handers to circle to the right it gives a guy even more trouble. So we knew circling him right behind a double, triple jab was gonna give him a lot of trouble.

What did you think of Klassen's performance? Judging from his words he was underestimating you quite a bit…

RG: I think he was ready for an old Robert Guerrero. The Robert Guerrero that likes to sit in there and exchange punches… and just have a war. I think he was thinking that I was gonna come in like that and that's what he trained and prepared for. His game plan was to just come in and just bang me out. We had the perfect game plan for him and from my point of view, and the way I was dictating the fight, he didn't know what to do.

How did the hand injury happen and did you know it as soon as it did?

RG: I hurt it earlier in training and I had to nurse it a little bit. It was feeling good going into the fight, but I never really put any power on it too hard, to really know if it was OK or not. I think it was midway through the fight, I hit him with a, I think it was an uppercut, and I hit him close to the top of the head and I just felt it just like a spring, right away I could feel it. Every time I threw a hard, solid left hand I could feel it a lot. But you know, I kept throwing it and throwing it, and just solid enough to let him know that there was nothing wrong with me and if he came in I was gonna let one go. Part of being in there was having that poker mentality, not letting him know what was going on.

In addition to that you were also dealing with that cut…What were you thinking after the clash of heads and did you think it was intentional at all?

RG: Yea, a lot of times he was just trying to rush in head first and land an overhand right. Most of the time as soon as I would throw a double or triple jab and step off he would come head first and just try to land whatever he could land. To come in darting in with your head first… sometimes it's intentional.

Were you bothered at all by the cut for the rest of the fight or was it something you weren't worried about too much, just sticking to the game plan?

RG: I wasn't worried about the cut at all. I got back to the corner and my corner did a great job being relaxed and not getting crazy. Cut man Ruben Gomez did an excellent job with the cut and it didn't bother me at all. I was able to stay on my game and maintain focus, and stick with my game plan.

You averaged 100 punches per round in the fight and only seemed to slow down a bit or take a rest, around maybe the ninth or tenth round. How much did your training camp in Big Bear help you build up that kind of stamina?

RG:  Man, it made a huge difference being out there in Big Bear training. I didn't even realize I threw that many punches. The rounds that I did slow up, I actually slowed up to stand my ground a little more and blast some body shots in there. Then right away I jumped backed on it, but man, if I would have just stuck on my jab and stayed with what I was doing the whole fight, it would've been a lot more punches.

That's when I was like… wow. Looking back on it on how many punches I threw and how much boxing I did and how much moving I did in the ring… man, it makes a huge difference. Now I know why all champions that have the opportunity to go out there and train, go out there and train.

So I'm guessing that for the next fight you'll be brining your title belt up to Big Bear for another training camp?

RG: For sure. I'm pretty sure I'm probably going to be out there for the rest of my career during my training.

During the fight you could see Shane Mosley getting pretty animated at points from his ringside seat. What was he saying to you and what did sparring with him mean to you?

RG: A lot of times I know he was shouting at me to keep turning, rip uppercuts and work off that jab. But just sparring with him, being in the ring with him… his ring generalship, and all of the experience he has... Like he told me, "I've been boxing longer than since you've been born. And I can teach you a thing or two." And that's what he did and I learned a lot from Shane, not just in boxing but in how to take care of yourself, and how to make sure everything is right going into a fight.

I learned so much from him being in camp and that's what you gotta do, you gotta learn every time you get out to a camp. It was nice to be out there with Shane and learning from him, a veteran and pound for pound one of the best lightweights in boxing history. It was an awesome opportunity.

I know your team tried to get a Juan Diaz bout together prior to this fight and sharing the card with him. What did you think of his performance against Malignaggi and is that a fight you'd still like to pursue now if he returns to lightweight?

RG: I would love to fight Juan Diaz, if he dropped down to lightweight or even if I had to go up I would fight him. Honestly, I didn't get to see the fight, I was in the back getting stitched up. I caught the first couple rounds but after that I didn't get to see the rest of the fight. I saw him start off aggressive and firing a lot of punches, and moving in quick, slipping and sliding. He looked good on the first couple rounds that I saw, but unfortunately I didn't get to see the whole fight. I heard it was a real close fight and it was controversial with some of the judging, but I haven't really gotten to see it.

Obviously you have a lot of healing up and relaxing to do, not to mention celebration I'm sure. Is there any chance we'll be seeing you in the ring again before 2009 is out?

RG: Right now we are gonna play it by ear. I know they are probably working on something already, but I'm going to go tomorrow to get my hand looked at. And I have to give the cut a little bit of time to heal, and make sure I'm 100% before I get in the ring. But for sure, I'm hoping to get back in the ring before the end of 2009.

This win was your third world title, and a championship in a second division. I know this was a goal of yours since you got back in the ring after your layoff. What's the next goal?

RG: Looking towards unifying titles at 130 pounds. Even if I could get another fight at 135 with anybody…I'd love to take that. But I think that's the next thing, to unify titles and I'm excited about that and I'm in the position to do that now.

Is there anybody in particular you're looking to get in there with… obviously there's Linares and Soto and a bunch of guys… or is it whoever is around and steps up?

RG: Hopefully I can get in there with Humberto Soto or Jorge Linares.

Congrats again on the win and thanks for the time.

This interview was conducted by Jake Emen for Pro Boxing Fans, and has also been published on Associated Content.

Former lightweight champion Juan " Baby Bull" Diaz, 34 (17) – 2, is finalizing his preparations to meet Paulie Malignaggi, a fight to be televised on HBO on August 22nd. Diaz will be back in Houston, fighting in his hometown for the third straight time. Prior to his first real fight in the junior welterweight division, I spoke to Diaz about his upcoming fight, his career and his future.

We're less than two weeks out from your fight against Paulie Malignaggi, how are you feeling right now?

JD: I'm feeling great. I had a great day of sparring today. I have three guys that came in from out of the state. I'm feeling great and I'm excited to be back here in Houston once again and trying to make it back to the top.

This is your first fight at junior welterweight, at least since you were a newly professional fighter. Were you having trouble making 135 or was this just a matter of taking the best fight that was out there right now?

JD: I wasn't having no problem making the 135 limit, but this was the best fight out there for me. I believe that Paul Malignaggi is not at all taking a step down. I definitely want to fight the best out there even though in my last fight I was not successful, I didn't want to take a tune up fight or a warm up fight. I told my managers, look, I'm young right now, I have all of the energy in the world, so I want to fight the best.

Will you be at 140 permanently from here on out or will you be jumping around if you need to be?

JD: It all depends. I'm looking forward to the fight here in Houston on August 22^nd and it all depends. My biggest dream was to become a world champion. I did it four times, becoming a four time world champion. Now, I want to leave a mark in boxing. Before I leave the sport I want to make sure I leave a mark. I want people to know who Juan Diaz was in the sport. So I'm looking to fight the best guys, whether it's at lightweight or super lightweight it doesn't matter. I can make both weights comfortably.

Your academic pursuits and career aspirations are well known. How much longer can we expect to see Juan Diaz, the professional boxer?

JD: For me as a professional boxer, I believe I would give myself about three or four more years to really concentrate on the sport. Because I'm looking forward to being able to communicate and talk very well with my family… I don't want to be one of those boxers who can't communicate or understand their family members. So I'd say about three or four more years.

Back to the upcoming fight…has your training camp been any different this time around, knowing you don't have to get down to 135?

JD: The good thing I can tell you about is I can eat an extra meal at night… instead of eating cereal or fruit or salad, I can actually eat a full meal. Believe it or not, three and a half pounds actually makes a big difference. Right now I would be around 37 or 38 but instead I'm weighing 141, 142 right now because I don't have to drop those extra few pounds.

A little less hungry at night would go a long way I'm sure…

JD: (Laughs) Definitely, yea.

What do you think about your style will give Malignaggi problems?

JD: I think that my aggressive style is gonna be the key factor to victory. You see, what Paul Malignaggi likes to do is wait around, use his jab and punch and move, punch and move. But the question that is going to be asked and answered that night is can he go for 12 rounds. Because I can fight for 12 rounds, but can he punch and move for 12 rounds? That right there is gonna be the key to my victory.

So how do you see the fight playing out, you think your pressure is going to wear him out as you get to the later rounds?

JD: I believe my pressure, my body punching, is gonna be the key to everything. But I'm not gonna let him take advantage of the early rounds. I know from the beginning he is going to be able to punch and move. But if I let him win the early rounds that may boost up his confidence and confidence can take you a long way. If your confidence is built up by the later rounds he might not get tired. He might decide, hell, I'm winning, I'm not gonna stop whatever it takes.

You started your career 33-0, and now you've lost two of your last three. What does this fight mean for you and your career?

JD: This fight right here, I think I can establish myself as a true super lightweight. I think that this fight can show the fans that I can fight at lightweight or super lightweight and I want to make my mark in boxing and I want to fight the best fighters out there, whether it's at lightweight or super lightweight.

The two guys who defeated you, Nate Campbell and Juan Manuel Marquez have both moved up to junior welterweight as well. Will you be pursuing rematches with them or…

JD: Well, I think, frankly, I think that Nate Campbell's career is almost over. It was a controversial victory for Bradley but in a way I see where Campbell is coming from, he did get head butted. But, he quit. In the end he quit. And a lot of the fans and the TV men don't want to see a quitter in the ring. So I think that Nate Campbell's career is just about done. The main guy I would love to have a rematch with is Marquez. The only thing that still bothers me to this day from that fight is that the referee had to step in and stop the fight. I was knocked out…feelings weren't hurt, I feel great… but my pride as a boxer was hurt. I want to be able to get a shot and redeem myself.

If you get past Malignaggi on August 22nd, what's the plan for the rest of the year?

JD: In the perfect world, my plan would be to get back in the ring before the year ends. It would be great if I could fight the week right before Christmas or early December. But unfortunately that's up to my manager and my promoters and the TV networks, and they have to work that out. So in the perfect world like I said,  I would love to fight one more time again in December, but if it doesn't happen… I guess I'll enjoy the holidays…

…And you won't have to worry so much about what you're eating on Thanksgiving…

JD: (Laughs) Exactly…

Thanks for the time Juan and good luck on the 22nd.

This interview was conducted by Jake Emen for Pro Fighting Fans, and was also published on Associated Content.

After Malignaggi came out in the first round of the fight and won the round, it looked as though he may be able to edge out a hard fought decision. But as I predicted, Malignaggi had nothing to keep the Hitman off of him, and Hatton waded in and started throwing hooks and huge right hands. Some of those caught and hurt Paulie in the following rounds, and soon Hatton began to take control of the bout.

The first round aside, Malignaggi likely didn't win a round the rest of the fight. And with his low KO percentage, there was almost a zero percent chance that he would come back and win the fight. That being said, I do not agree with the stoppage of the bout. I understand that Buddy McGirt, a formerly great fighter, empathizes with his fighters and doesn't want to see them hurt. However - and as Paulie said in the post fight interview - he got it much worse from Miguel Cotto without quitting, and should have been allowed to finish the fight.

I'm all for protecting the fighters, and truly that is one of the most important and perhaps most overlooked elements of the boxing world. However, Hatton wasn't unleashing a devastating barage of shots, beating Paulie to a pulp. He was grinding him down and getting effective blows him, but I don't feel like Malignaggi was in any danger of injury. And while you sometimes stop a fight to save a fighter's ego and confidence level, I feel in the long run this hurts Paulie, as you could visibly see how distraught he was with the result and the perception of his performance.

You can't take anything away from Ricky Hatton though. Did he work his way into the top 10 pound for pound fighters again? Well, probably not, although you never know. He won a fight he was expected to win, although many people picked against him. It does seem that he is on the end of his rope though, and there's only so much more his body could take. I guess we will soon see who his next opponent is, although to be perfectly honest, I care not to see him against either Oscar De La Hoya nor Manny Pacquiao.

Preview of Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi

Both Ricky Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi only have one loss on their records. As mentioned, Hatton's one loss came at the hands of Floyd Mayweather, one of the best pure boxers of the last several decades. Paulie Malignaggi has always held Mayweather in the highest of esteems, and has taken strides to emulate him. Malignaggi though is known for a serious deficit in punching power (those 5 knockouts stick out like a sore thumb!), and a tendency to fight the other guy's fight even when it's against his best interests. This happened in his one defeat, against top welterweight Miguel Cotto, when he got pummeled and battered succumbing to Cotto's dictation of the fight, despite showing great heart in the losing effort.

Neither Ricky Hatton nor Paulie Malignaggi has looked to be at their best in their last several performances. So both need the win, and both need to look impressive in doing so. Ricky Hatton's style consists of doing the dirty work inside. He'll throw a hook or a short jab, pounce inside, and begin to maul his opponent. Interestingly enough, Hatton brought on Floyd Mayweather Sr. to be his new trainer. While the big name trainer, and father of his conqueror is an effective tutor, the style he preaches is so far removed from anything Hatton has done for his whole career, it's questionable how well that combination will work out.

Malignaggi on the other hand bases his game around footwork and a quick jab. He'll open up as he begins to gain more control, and if his hands hold up long enough to allow him to do so. He has had a long history of breaking his hands, which has limited his ability to throw strong combinations and sit down on his punches appropriately and forcefully.

Whereas Floyd Mayweather was able to perfectly time Ricky Hatton's movements, and take advantage with powerful counter shots, Malignaggi's punches lack the speed and other-worldly timing of Mayweather's. Hatton should be able to close the distance on Malignaggi, as nothing that Paulie offers in return will be able to keep Hatton at bay. Additionally, Malignaggi may get caught up in the toe-to-toe clinch battle that works to Hatton's advantage. If Paulie is to win the fight, he has to constantly circle Hatton and avoid getting held up on the ropes or in the corner. If he can get his jab working, doubling and tripling it up, he may be able to control Hatton's assault.

This fight seems like it will be a tough one to score. So I wouldn't be surprised to see a split decision or a close decision in either direction. My official prediction however is that Hatton will be able to move inside, past Malignaggi's feather fisted punches, and do enough work to win a majority of the rounds. We'll see a Ricky Hatton victory, by close and sloppy unanimous decision.

Betting Odds for Hatton vs. Malignaggi

Over at the Bodog Sportsbook, the official betting odds on Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi are:

• Ricky Hatton - 240
• Paulie Malignaggi +190

Over/Under 11.5 Rounds 

• Over -325
• Under +250

So if you're a Paulie Malignaggi fan, some good odds for the upset, while Ricky Hatton fans aren't getting awful odds on the favorite. And if you think somebody can pull off the stoppage, great odds on betting the under. If you want to bet on Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi, the Bodog Sportsbook is the place to do it.