Troy Ross - On The Mend and Seeking a Rematch

The Boxing Bulletin had a chance to sit down last night and talk with Canadian southpaw Troy Ross.  Recently back from Germany after his abbreviated clash against Steve Cunningham, the cruiserweight contender is looking to try and secure a rematch with the top ranked Philadelphia fighter.

The Boxing Bulletin:  Let’s get to the eye. How is it?

Troy Ross:  The eye is fine. The surgeon in Germany did a great job. It’s healing perfectly, and tomorrow I’ll be getting the stitches out.

TBB:  What exactly was wrong?

TR:  What happened was the bottom eyelid was cut. It actually got torn.

TBB:  Did you realize right away how serious it was?

TR:  I knew it was serious. That’s the first time I’ve ever reacted to a little punch like that. I knew he got me directly in the eye. In that split second, I was like "Oh no..." and there was pretty much nothing I could do except back up, and automatically my opponent knew that something happened and he came after me. The only thing I could do was to defend myself and fight back.

TBB: Ever experienced anything like that before?

TR: I’ve never been thumbed in the eye before. This was something very new to me. I’ve had cuts in a fight before, but a thumb is something very different.

TBB: Did it affect your vision?

TR: Yes, it affected my vision just a little bit. There was blood in my eye. It was a little bit blurry, but I could still see and I could still fight. I wanted to keep on fighting.

TBB: Would that not have risked making the eye worse?

TR: Well, it’s a fight. Anything can happen.

TBB: How did you feel the fight was going?

TR: The fight was going according to plan. We were out-boxing the boxer, and it threw him off his game. He didn’t expect that. He expected me as a fighter to go to him, and I think that’s what they worked out in the gym, what they would do if I came to him. We pretty much switched the game plan around and threw Steve off by him having to come to me. Steve was a sitting target for me. I was moving around and he was following me. Here I am moving to my left, and he didn’t know what to do.

TBB: At the end of the fight, did you two discuss anything?

TR: Steve said to me he knew it was a short notice fight, that I only had a month to get ready. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity for the fight, and we left it at that.

TBB: He came under some criticism for his celebration after the fight, what was your reaction to that?

TR: When I saw him celebrating, it kind of threw me for a loop. On a fight that ends like that?  That's not the way you want to see it end. As a champion, that’s nothing to really celebrate. You just won a fight on a technicality.

TBB: Reportedly you had a confrontation with Cunningham at the Boxing Hall of Fame?

TR: Before we get to that, Steve had said that I was not worthy of a rematch. That’s what he actually said – that I was not worthy of a rematch. When I went to the Boxing Hall of Fame, I wanted to know exactly what he meant by that. I wanted to ask him what we were going to do? Are we going to settle the score and finish off this fight that ended in the fifth round? That’s what I wanted to get confirmation on, and that’s what I asked him. I said to Steve, "What are we going to do, are we going to make this fight happen or not?"  He stepped back, and I said to him, "What’s this I hear about you saying that I’m not worthy of a rematch and should actually have to go through an eliminator to fight you again." I think any champion would have automatically said, "Let’s do a rematch, I don’t want to win a world title like that."

TBB:  During this incident, did he just not address the issue of the rematch?

TR:  I think he addressed every other issue but the rematch.  He started arguing with people around me.  I thought it was kind of ludicrous to see him act the way he did.  It didn't really need to get to that, because I was only asking him a question.

TBB: How did you two leave it?

TR: We left it with him being pulled away, and going to the other side of the room.

TBB: So what’s your next step?

TR: We’ve already put in a petition for the IBF to review everything, and we'll go from there.

TBB: If the IBF does not grant a rematch, would you be interested in participating in the cruiserweight tournament that’s been rumoured to be in the works?

TR: My focus is on getting a rematch with Steve Cunningham. If there is a Super-Six tournament in the cruiserweight division, I know the fans will want to see me in there, but right now I want to focus on getting that rematch with Steve Cunningham.

TBB: Best of luck with that Troy.

TR: Thanks, I also just want to thank everyone for supporting me over what happened in the fight.  I’m happy to have everyone in my corner through what has been a tough situation.

e-mail Andrew Fruman