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‘Old school’ Luis Collazo wants Amir Khan next

Fighters Network
06
Mar

Luis Collazo knocked out Victor Ortiz in the second round in January, signed with powerful adviser Al Haymon on Monday, and called out Amir Khan on Wednesday.

"I think that it would be a great fight," said Collazo, who turns 33 in April. "It doesn't matter where I fight next. But I just want to give the fans a great fight, and I want that Amir Khan fight next."

In seeking Khan, Collazo joins a growing list of those with their sights on the seemingly vulnerable former 140-pound beltholder who missed out on a shot at Floyd Mayweather on May 3.

The No. 1-ranked fighter, pound-for-pound, Mayweather, 37, chose to face Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Showtime Pay Per View rather than Khan.



"You know, everybody wanted Floyd. I wanted Floyd. The next guy in the welterweight division is Amir Khan. I would love that fight," Collazo told RingTV.com. "We both wanted Floyd Mayweather. I believe that we should fight, and maybe if me and Amir Khan fight, and then, maybe Floyd could fight the winner out of that.

Collazo (35-5, 18 knockouts) has gone 6-1 with four knockout victories in his past seven bouts, and is 4-0 with two knockouts since losing a 10-round unanimous decision to Freddy Hernandez in October of 2011.

Collazo lost controversial unanimous decisions in welterweight title matches against Ricky Hatton in 2006 and Andre Berto in 2009 along with a one-sided unanimous decision to Shane Mosley in 2007.

But now that he's on a roll, Collazo wants to be back in the mix of the Mayweather sweepstakes, if not, the talented 147-pound division which includes Haymon clients such as IBF titleholder Shawn Porter, Paulie Malignaggi, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner and Devon Alexander.

Below are some of the thoughts shared by Collazo with RingTV.com:

 

Luis Collazo on how his setbacks have helped him:

"There were some fights that I thought I won, and where I got the short end of the stick. A lot of people thought that I won, I thought that I won.

"But I take them as a part of the learning process. I'm older and I'm more mature at this point in my career. I'm very grateful for every one of those losses.

"They've made me a better person, and a better fighter as well. I'm more a fighter who feels he belongs in those past eras. To me, I'm an old school fighter.

"I'm with the Marvin Haglers, the Aaron Pryor-type of fighters. A loss doesn't dictate who you are as a fighter, it's how you come back."


On his hunger, being battle-tested relative to his potentially younger opponents:

"Those fights, they helped to contribute to my determination and my hunger to be in the game right now and as far as my wanting to be a world champion, once again. I feel that a lot of these young fighters, they want the easy way out.

"Sometimes, it's rough, to not have the right backing and to have those opportunities that those young fighters have now. I'm another of the big fighters in the welterweight division, right now. "


On what gave him the edge against Ortiz:

"Like I said before, boxing is full time. It's not a part-time job. It's just something that you have to put your heart 110 percent into. To be honest, I was ready for the long haul.

"But I caught him in the second round, and I was surprised myself. But I knew that I was going to come out with the victory, but he just got caught early."

 

On the potential for facing Khan:

"To be honest, you know, everybody wanted Floyd. I wanted Floyd. The next guy in the welterweight division is Amir Khan. I would love that fight. We both wanted Floyd Mayweather.

"I beleive that we should fight, and maybe if me and Amir Khan fight, and then, maybe Floyd could fight the winner out of that.

"I think that I'm the guy that Amir Khan should fight in order to get Floyd Mayweather, next. I think that I'm the only veteran there. I'm the only big name after me beating Victor Ortiz. I think I'm the next guy out there."


On how a Khan-Collazo fight would go:

"I think that it would be an exciting fight for boxing. He's a great boxer. But in the fights I've seen, he gets careless, and he doesn't have the best chin out there, either. I don't think that he's every fought somebody like me.

"The last two guys that he had weren't the best opponents, and they weren't in the welterweight division. I'm a natural welterweight, and I don't remember the last time that Khan fought a southpaw.

"I think that it would be a great fight. It doesn't matter where I fight, next, but I just want to give the fans a great fight, and I want that Amir Khan fight, next."

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