Middleweight Prospect Michael Oliveira Speaks to RSR
Interview by Jeff Stoyanoff
“I like Rocky Marciano’s style of fighting and I have Manny Pacquiao’s speed.” – Michael Oliveira
In many ways Michael Oliveira is a typical boxing prospect. His record stands at 12-0, with 10 KO’s. He comes from a boxing background as his grandfather fought in the Brazilian Army sparring with ring legend Eder Jofre among others.
But, a closer look at Oliveira quickly shows that he is hardly the run of the mill young fighter. He is a student at Miami Dade College in Florida studying Physical Therapy and his amateur career consisted of only two fights. Oliveira candidly admits that he doesn’t have to fight, but does so because he loves it. His is not the typical story, except for one staple that seems to go with every promising young fighter; a dream of winning a world title. Oliveira spoke recently with Ringside Report about his strange path to his one true passion.
JS: The first thing one notices when they read your bio is the different path you took to boxing. You did not have the extensive amateur background that many fighters have had. Can you talk about the path to boxing and how you got started?
It all started when I was three. My grandfather used to be a boxer for the army in Brazil. He sparred with many of the big names in Brazil including Eder Jofre. So, that’s how it all started; when I was little we would sit down and watch boxing together. We would watch Muhammad Ali; we would watch Mike Tyson and that is how I got inspired to do it. You always want to do what your grandfather did or what your father did. But, it turned into more than just what they did. It became my own personal passion and love.
JS: Did you ever have the feeling that they were really hoping that you would make that choice? Or, did they want you to maybe go in a different direction?
I guess they wanted me to do this. But, I have always been the type with a strong personality and if I don’t like something then it is my way or the highway. And, I actually fell in love with the sport. I made it into a hobby and then a profession and now it is my passion. But, I do have a very limited amateur career, but in my eyes that is a good thing. I am in boxing because I love it, because it is in my blood, and because I feel like that is where I am meant to be. Everyone has a point in life; a reason to come to earth and I think my reason was to box because, to be honest, I don’t need this. I’m in school. I have a house, a car, and a place to sleep. I’m basically well off. So, I don’t really need this, but I do it because I love it and when you do something because you love it then it turns out better. On the other hand, it is difficult for me because I could, at any point, throw up my hands and say forget this; I don’t need it.
On the other hand, the fighters that come out of jail need to make the hundred dollars a day just to be able to eat; they do it because they are obligated. I think it is a little more difficult for me in some ways because I don’t need this; I do it because I love it. But, because I love it then it turns out better.
JS: You mentioned the lack of amateur experience. At some levels, it seems as though you have to learn on the job as a pro since you don’t have those years of amateur experience to draw upon. How does that deficit in experience impact how you handle and organize your career as a professional?
It all starts off with having the best team behind me; a very good manager, my family behind me. They are able to guide me a little bit more in the right direction. As for the amateur career, some of them have 300 or 400 fights. By the time they start their professional career, they are already punch drunk. And, in an amateur career, there are certain habits that they accumulate over a decade of fighting. That can make it hard to adapt to a professional style of fighting. So, it is more beneficial to me in certain ways. But, I don’t have that much ring experience, battle experience, that other fighters have. But then again, it is all a learning experience. I fight day by day and so far I’ve been lucky I guess. But, to answer your question, I don’t think it matters whether you have 300 amateur fights or two amateur fights. As long as you put time and effort into training and dedicate yourself you can be ready for whatever comes.
JS: You mentioned that your lack of extensive amateur experience has actually allowed you to cultivate a better style for professional boxing. But, for those that haven’t yet had a chance to see you fight, how would you characterize your fighting style? Is there a fighter out there that you find yourself emulating?
Most definitely, I like Mike Tyson’s aggressiveness. I like Rocky Marciano’s style of fighting and I have Manny Pacquiao’s speed. I take life in as a sponge; I absorb information in little pieces here and there from boxers and I use it for my benefit. Obviously, every fight is different because no opponent is the same, so styles make fights. So, for one fight I’ll use speed, but for another fight my speed won’t work so I’ll use strength. And, in another fight strength won’t work, so I’ll try to stay on top of them and back them up. You have to adapt at the time of the fight. That’s why I train overall to be an all-around fighter. I fight on the inside, I fight on the outside, I am aggressive, but I can fight backing up. I can use one hand or both hands. We train this way specifically because not every fighter is the same. So, we can’t say with this guy I am only going to do this because we’re humans and we adapt. God made our bodies so perfect that we are able to adapt to different situations to survive.
JS: One thing I noticed when I took a look at your record is that you have been incredibly active. In fact, at one point you had two fights in 11 days which is old school. How intentional is that activity especially in terms of cultivating the very diverse fighting style that you were talking about just now?
If I am not fighting every month then I am definitely sparring every month; three to five times every month. But, the reason we stay active, let me give you an example. If you are in the desert and the heat is on top of you; if you sit down you are not going to want to get back up. So, a fighter that gets too comfortable getting to eat the cheeseburgers and the pizza, they are not going to want to get back into the rhythm of training and making those sacrifices. So you have to be disciplined and stay on top of your game. But, then again, as I said this is something I love. It helps me because I don’t have that amateur experience so it gets me good ring experience. I am not saying I am the most experienced fighter out there because I never will be. But, I have 12 fights and that is 12 more fights than I had two years ago. So, why stay active? Because we have a goal. I want to be going for a world title in the next year to year and a half; before I turn 21.
JS: On the one hand, you have spoken openly here about wanting to gain experience and improve as a fighter. Clearly, the best way to do that is to fight experienced and tough opposition. On the other hand, you also have to concern yourself with the business aspects of boxing. So, you need to build a good record and nurture a promising young career. Obviously, those things can work against each other. How do you and your team negotiate those goals when they seem to oppose each other much of the time?
In the beginning, since I lacked amateur experience, we got maybe 60-40 in terms of my chances of winning fights. But, most definitely, I have had my behind handed to me in sparring. So, everyday in training, I have sparred with guys like: Bernard Hopkins, Glen Johnson, and Tavoris Cloud. I am also supposed to go up to Northern California to spar with Alfredo Angulo. So, I have been in there with top notch fighters. So, from now on, my opponents are going to be no less than 50-50 chances of winning. So, we are going to get very equal fighters or even better so my ranking goes up, my experience goes up, and my confidence goes up. We are going to get ready for a world title. Like I tell everyone, I am not scared to get hit, I will never back down, no one will ever throw in the towel so you will have to knock me out. But, then again, too much heart is bad and I understand that. But, that is how I was raised, I was raised to give it my all and if I don’t succeed then I get up and try again. Every day in training I give it my all and if it doesn’t work then at least I will know I gave it my best and it wasn’t because I quit.
JS: So, have you picked an opponent then for your next fight as you look to step up here and gain the title shot?
For my next fight, it will be something big; maybe as big as my title shot. That fight will be in Brazil. I have a few people in mind that I want to fight for the title, but plans change and you never know what might happen. But, I would like to definitely go up against Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., one day.
JS: It’s interesting that you mention Chavez, JR. He has fought a couple of times at 160 pounds, but now there is talk that he might return to 154 pounds and resume fighting there. You have also spoken about moving down to 154 pounds. Is that just an experiment, or is there a feeling that 154 pounds could be an ideal weight for you?
Well, with the studies of my doctor, nutritionist, and therapist; like I said I have a team behind me, we have come to the conclusion that with my height, reach, and my strength, the best weight for me would be 147. But, we are still debating on that because obviously the fighter’s opinion counts a little bit. I say I feel amazing at 160. So, we’re going to try the weight class below it to see what happens. I might still feel amazing and be stronger, we don’t know. So, we’re going to take it a step at a time. Like my grandfather used to say in Italian, piano piano, little by little, and we’ll see from there. I am very strong willed and I will become a champion and it’s good because the Brazilian community has not had a champion in a long time.
JS: It is abundantly clear in talking to you and reading about you that your Brazilian heritage is very important to you. You recently received the Brazilian International Press Award for Athlete of the Year in 2009. There were some pretty recognizable names on the list including Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and NBA standout Nene Hilario among others. Did that surprise you? And, can you put into words what winning that award meant given the obvious pride you feel in your background?
Surprising? Most definitely. Can I explain the feeling? Not really, it is just something you have to experience for yourself because it is the satisfaction that you know you gave it all you had and you put your heart and life on the line for it. Did I expect it? Maybe, because I knew I gave it all I had. But, did I think it was going to come true? Probably not, because as you said, there were very, very amazing people on the list. Helio Castroneves, one of my good friends, he is an amazing driver. And the NBA player, Nene, he is also my friend and he is doing really good in basketball. It was a surprise because they have been in their games for so much longer and I just began. But, then again, I’m young and in need of attention, why am I doing this?
Why not? So, it creates emotions. But, this is not the way I look at it. I look at it as I gave it my best, I gave it my heart. If I wouldn’t have won, I still gave it my all. But, fortunately, it happened and I guess I could try to describe the feeling. You know when you get the butterflies in your stomach, and you can’t talk, and you have a knot in your throat? It’s pretty close to that.
JS: You had perhaps your most impressive win to date when you defeated Francisco Ruben Osorio last November on the undercard of the Chad Dawson-Glen Johnson rematch. What did you take away, not just from that win, but from the experience of being involved with such a major event in boxing?
That was my first time fighting a southpaw and that was a little different. But, like I said, I train for everything, I train for a guy who has three or four arms, I train for the worst occasions; and it showed that day. But, about your question about the event. There were a lot of people, but let me explain to you how I feel when I am in the ring. I don’t feel anything up until the day of the fight. The day of the weigh in, I still feel nothing, I feel normal. The day of the fight, I still feel nothing. When I am in the locker room and when I walk to the ring, I get a little feeling in my stomach. But, once you walk through the curtain and you see all those people, that feeling just vanishes.
You have so many things going through your head, so many feelings and emotions rushing through your veins, but it all changes as soon as I step into the ring. I don’t know what to say or what to feel. I feel like a gladiator, I feel three times stronger and I get this tunnel vision. I see my opponent with a light on top of him and then all black around him. I can’t hear the bell sometimes, I can’t hear the ref sometimes, all I hear is myself breathing.
JS: You have mentioned that one of your goals is to hopefully secure a match up with Julio Cesar Chavez JR. But, can you talk about what you hope to get out of boxing both in terms of short term and long term? And, what might the dream scenario be for you in the sport?
Talking about 10 percent chances? Well, if you put your heart and soul into something then nothing is impossible. We have men walking on the moon, so the sky is definitely not the limit. I would love to be able to call myself a heavyweight champion. That is something that when I was little, when I had a pacifier in my mouth, I dreamed of. But, when I got into boxing, reality hit me hard. But, if I put my heart and mind into something then nothing is impossible, so it’s a possibility. I am not going to take it out of the picture because it is a possibility. But, I definitely want to be a champion in my weight, the lower weight, and the one above. I would like to have three titles, three weight classes that I would like to conquer.
But, boxing is not forever and we continue to live life after a career in boxing. So, I am going to school for Physical Therapy at Miami Dade College and I would like to open my own boxing gym with a physical therapy clinic in it for kids, athletes, the elderly, and boxers. And, I would also like to have my own building so that I can put my grandfather’s name on it.
Michael Oliveira
Nickname: “Chairman of the Board”
Division: Middleweight
Professional Record: 12-0, 10 KO’s
Date Opponent W-L-D Location Result
2008-08-21 Kevin Bartlett 0-3-0 Mount Pleasant, US W TKO 1
2008-11-01 Carlos Harris 0-1-0 West Memphis, US W TKO 1
2008-11-25 David Deangelo Foster 0-1-0 Indianapolis, US W TKO 1
2009-03-03 Michael Bradley 0-1-0 Indianapolis, US W KO 1
2009-03-20 Vladimir Laguna 1-0-0 Miami, US W MD 4
2009-04-24 Guy Packer 3-22-2 Grand Rapids, US W TKO 2
2009-05-16 Joe Howard 1-9-1 Indianapolis, US W TKO 1
2009-09-11 Robert Kliewer 10-8-2 Pompano Beach, US W UD 8
2009-11-07 Francisco Ruben Osorio 12-6-0 Hartford, US W RTD 7
2009-12-07 Gustavo De la Cruz 0-2-0 Santo Domingo, DO W TKO 1
2009-12-18 Eduardo Mercedes 5-2-0 Petionville, HT W TKO 2
2010-04-30 Jessie Davis 11-17-0 Miami, US W TKO 4