{"id":65123,"date":"2016-12-01T21:07:35","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T02:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=65123"},"modified":"2016-12-01T21:08:03","modified_gmt":"2016-12-02T02:08:03","slug":"eric-molina-shocks-boxing-fans-with-comments-about-anthony-joshua-breaking-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=65123","title":{"rendered":"Eric Molina Shocks Boxing Fans with Comments about Anthony Joshua – Breaking News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"3896\"<\/a>If strength of schedule had anything to do with a boxer\u2019s ranking, Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas, might be rated amongst the top boxers in his division.<\/p>\n

Consider: In June of last year, Molina went to Birmingham, Ala., to challenge undefeated WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs). Molina, a prohibitive underdog, lost but had his moments, including staggering Wilder with a wicked shot in the third round.<\/p>\n

This past April, Molina traveled to Poland and knocked out one of that country\u2019s all-time great champions, Tomasz Adamek, in the 10th round.
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And now, on Saturday, Dec. 10, live on SHOWTIME, Molina will travel to Manchester, England, to challenge unbeaten IBF Heavyweight World Champion and hugely popular local favorite Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs). Once again, he will enter the ring as a significant underdog.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of heavyweights haven\u2019t walked the streets that I\u2019ve walked through,\u2019\u2019 Molina said. \u201cThis is an evil sport. You lose, they write you off. It\u2019s hard to bounce back like I have. Nothing has been given to me. I\u2019ve earned it. I\u2019ve done it the hard way. I enjoy the world underestimating me, but they don\u2019t understand the struggles I\u2019ve been through.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my second world title shot, my third major fight in 18 months, and I\u2019ll be the first Mexican-American heavyweight champ in history if I win. I\u2019m coming into this fight like this is it for me. This is my last shot. I\u2019m ready to fight with everything I have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love these big, big fights. They don\u2019t scare me. There is no fear in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are Molina\u2019s responses to a recent Q&A:<\/p>\n

On his upcoming assignment against Joshua<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel great about this fight. These are the kinds of fights I want and want to be in. Before I fought Wilder I had 35 days to train; for this I\u2019ve had about five weeks. We feel this gives us plenty of time to fix what we have to fix in training.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a mission I set out for \u2013 to become the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion of the world. This is my mission. I\u2019m looking forward to fighting Joshua and embracing the opportunity. I work very hard and put everything into it every day. I want to be the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe magnitude of this fight is everything. I put everything in. But I know I have to stay focused and relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you think of Joshua?<\/p>\n

\u201dObviously, he does a lot things well, but there are a lot of areas to his game we haven\u2019t seen yet, and I\u2019m going to test him in those areas. He really hasn\u2019t had to take too many punches in his fights. I\u2019m going to have to put him in spots where he\u2019s uncomfortable. There has to be a game plan and there will be for Joshua.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who are the top heavyweights in the world?<\/p>\n

\u201cJoshua has got a great attitude. I\u2019d say he\u2019s the No. 1 heavyweight, ahead of Wilder and Tyson Fury.\u201d<\/p>\n

On how this fight came about<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I got wind that the Klitschko fight might not be happening, I started thinking, \u2018well, if not Wlad, then who?\u2019 I looked at the rankings and didn\u2019t see a lot of possibilities so I knew I had a chance. Then, I got a call from Eddie Hearn with an offer and I signed a few days later. I feel truly blessed. I feel like this is my time.\u201d<\/p>\n

How would you describe how your career is going?<\/p>\n

\u201cI no longer second guess what I can do. Fighting on the road so much; fighters need that kind of experience to compete against a fighter like Joshua. You have to stay in the moment and keep focused at what you are there to do and not allow the atmosphere in the arena get to you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve fought some of the biggest fights on the road, so I\u2019m accustomed to it and definitely think that is my edge over (Dominic Breazeale and Charles Martin).<\/p>\n

\u201cSome fighters have to go down to become champion. It\u2019s not that easy to become champion. My road sure hasn\u2019t been that easy. I got beat by Wilder, but then I knocked out Adamek and now I\u2019m fighting Joshua.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in the underdog situation. I\u2019ve been in these fights, and that doesn\u2019t affect me. I\u2019m ready for it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Where are you training?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m training in Weslaco with my team at my own private gym. We\u2019ve brought in some sparring partners. I took a year off from teaching so I was in the gym anyway, but now I\u2019m training for a world title again. We\u2019ve been working hard, putting in extra time on strength and conditioning. The plan is to take our time, try to put everything together and not rush anything. So far we\u2019re right on the mark.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

When do you depart for England?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are leaving on Dec. 2 or Dec. 3. Before that, I just need to concentrate on staying in the moment, which is to continue focusing on training and letting the future take care of itself.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

What were your takeaways from the Wilder fight?<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Wilder fight, look at the first knockdown. You see how I landed on my left ankle. I rolled it over and it hurt \u2013 and got worse — but I kept fighting. The ankle was in a cast for six-seven weeks afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake out the Wilder fight and it puts me in right in the mix with any heavyweights in the world. For me, that fight was confirmation that no heavyweight can just run through me. That is one of the differences between my attitude now and before.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt one point I didn\u2019t have the experience \u2013I had no amateur fights \u2013 or the confidence I have now. I now know what I can do and can\u2019t do, I know my strengths and weaknesses more and just feel that I\u2019ve matured into a top contender. I\u2019m now confident in my power and the things that I can do.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

How do you rate the victory over Adamek in your last fight?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pinnacle of my career. To knock him out there, it was the biggest win of my career and set me up now for the biggest fight of my career against Joshua. I have such nice memories of that fight. I t took a full team effort to beat Adamek and it will take another full team effort to beat Joshua. Our backs are against the wall but we\u2019ll be ready.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n