BACK in February of this year, tough and experienced Carson Jones of Oklahoma derailed Blackpool’s Brian Rose via slightly controversial first-round stoppage. Team Rose instantly called for a rematch and now, on August 1, it will happen.
But Jones, 37-10-3(27) is sure it will be a case of repeat and not revenge when the two meet up at middleweight in Hull.
Here the 28-year-old speaks exclusively with Boxing News:
Q: First of all, are you surprised Brian Jones has gone into an immediate rematch with you? I know he and his team screamed for one after you stopped him back in February, but did he need a tune-up fight first?
Carson Jones: “I don’t think I’d say it’s stupid. He’s a fighter, with a fighter’s instinct. He wants payback – which isn’t going to happen – and it’s a natural thing for a fighter to want that.”
Q: The last time we talked, after you’d beaten Rose, you said there would have to be good money for you to take a return. Not to be rude, but have you been given a good payday, what you deserve, for the rematch?
C.J: “Well, there were other fights in the works for me, but they fell through. I was going to have a fight in BKB [Big Knockout Boxing], which being from the UK, I’m not sure you’re familiar with. Anyway, I was in camp training for that. I’ve had seven weeks in camp. Then the Rose [rematch] fight kind of came out of the blue. As I was in shape, it made sense. I’m getting more money than I got the last time.”
Q: Can Brian Rose have improved as a fighter since February?
C.J: “I think he’ll be the same fighter. He thinks his weight was an issue [in the first fight] but it doesn’t really make that much difference. The first fight was at 154-pounds and now it will be at 158-pounds. But I don’t think it will make that much of a difference; he still won’t be able to punch. He’ll be the same person, not changed at all.”
Q: What will a repeat win do for you and can you get motivated for this rematch?
C.J: “Of course. I’m always motivated; I need to fight. I’m getting a payday and I get to stay busy. I’m looking at my next fight afterwards – not that I’m looking past Brian Rose at all. But I’m already talking with another promoter, I’m in negotiations now, for a bigger fight afterwards.”
Q: After you won in February, did you have a break and then get back in training?
C.J: “Yeah, I took a little break. But I’ve been back into it and I’ve already had those seven weeks of full camp.”
Q: Are you looking at another KO win and do you see any way in which Rose can win this time?
C.J: “No! And there is no way I won’t get the stoppage win.”
Q: Finally, in your opinion, will Brian Rose be finished if you beat him a second time, especially if you beat him by KO?
C.J: “That’s up to him, that’s not my concern. I don’t know. I know how it feels to lose and I wouldn’t want anyone to give up on pursuing their dreams. But I don’t know if he [Rose] is cut out for the top. Maybe he can go back to smaller fights as he builds himself back up, maybe for a good payday but that’s all.”
LUKE CAMPBELL HEADLINES THE SHOW IN HULL. READ AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HIM HERE
