EXCLUSIVE Eric Molina: ‘I’ll fight Anthony Joshua any time!’

Eric Molina

MEXICAN-American heavyweight Eric Molina scored a big away win on Saturday (April 2) as he travelled to Poland and stopped Tomasz Adamek in the 10th-round. Improving to 25-3 (19) and scoring his second win since being stopped in a WBC title challenge of Deontay Wilder last June, Molina now wants first crack at the winner of this Saturdayโ€™s Charles Martin-Anthony Joshua fight.

Molina is also interested in going back to Poland, and of facing the winner of the upcoming Kubrat Pulev-Dereck Chisora clash. As he explains here to Boxing News, Molina says it would be a โ€œdream come true to fight in Englandโ€.

Q: Congratulations on the big 10th-round stoppage win over Adamek. First of all, did you feel you were falling behind on points at the time of your stoppage win?

E.M: โ€œThank you! I think at that stage of the fight, I was getting a little frustrated with his movement, but we had a game-plan and I knew Iโ€™d stick to it. We had a great game-plan. I went to his body a lot and made him work. Normally in fights, he comes on strong in the 10th, 11th and 12th-rounds, so by me putting a lot of body work in the bag, I knew Iโ€™d make him pay late. He fell right into my trap by opening up in the later rounds and he fell right into my right hand.โ€

Q: This is the biggest win of your career, but was it also your best performance or can you box better?

E.M: โ€œI can definitely box better. Thereโ€™s improvements to be made but Iโ€™m making sure I do the work to make those improvements. With the seven week camp we had for Adamek, and knowing a lot about him – heโ€™s no closed book by any means – I knew what would work and what I could capitalise on against him. It was a good win for me and – Iโ€™m not making any excuses – I hurt my right hand in sparring before the fight; almost to the extent that we could have pulled out. But we protected the injury in camp and went ahead with the fight. I hurt the hand sparring with Artur Szpilka, my first southpaw for the Adamek fight. The thing is, the world has not yet seen the best of Eric Molina.โ€

Q: Will the hand injury keep you out for any length of time?

E.M: โ€œIโ€™ll see the doctor this week, Iโ€™ll maybe have a week or so off. Ideally, Iโ€™d like to fight again in four to six months, by November at the latest. I donโ€™t know if you guys noticed, but Iโ€™m at a lower weight now, 235 to 238-pounds being an ideal weight for me. Iโ€™m working with a strength and conditioning trainer and like I say, Iโ€™m putting the work in.โ€

Q: The big question is, who next?

E.M: โ€œIdeally for me, Iโ€™d like the Anthony Joshua-Charles Martin winner. I want to see if either of them is the real deal. The winner of that fight needs to make a statement to prove they are up there with the superstars of the division. Joshua is a good fighter but he hasnโ€™t really had to think and use his brain in a fight yet. Neither Joshua nor Martin has ever fought a fighter like me – who can hurt them at any given time of any given round, and who can also take a punch. Iโ€™ve said to people, it makes the most sense for me to fight him [Joshua] in his first [defence].

โ€œI fought Deontay Wilder first and that was with an injured ankle and still I hurt him, split some rounds with him and took him into the 9th-round. So no-one can say I cannot go anywhere to fight anyone and not be competitive. I can compete with any fighter in the world. So Joshua, yeah, whenever heโ€™s ready. Iโ€™d love to fight in England, it would be a dream come true. I also told the Polish people how Iโ€™d love to fight there again and there is talk of me fighting Artur Szpilka. So if nothing comes up with the Joshua fight, Iโ€™ll probably be heading back to Poland. But Iโ€™ll fight anyone. There was talk that the Kubrat Pulev [Dereck] Chisora winner would fight either me or Adamek. So Iโ€™ll come and fight Chisora in England! Iโ€™m not a protected heavyweight, like some guys are. Itโ€™s just me and no-one can let me down. A lot of US heavyweights turned down the Adamek fight because it was too dangerous. I actually want to fight outside of the US, because I think I fight better on the road!โ€

Q Does the idea of a โ€œrevengeโ€ win over Chris Arreola, who beat you inside a round back in 2012, appeal to you?

E.M: โ€œIโ€™ve actually been begging for a Chris Arreola rematch for over three years. Iโ€™ve called and called and they said, โ€˜no, no, no.โ€™ Theyโ€™re not interested. You cannot compare the Eric Molina of four years ago with today. I would kick his ass! But in all honesty, in todayโ€™s heavyweight division, Arreola is irrelevant. Iโ€™m looking at fighting guys above him, or guys who beat him. Iโ€™m the representative of the Mexican-Americans, not him. Heโ€™s a bum, who has been disrespectful. I would destroy him. I represent the Mexican-Americans the way they need to be represented.โ€

Q: And that is a big goal of yours also, to make history as the first person of Mexican descent to ever win the world heavyweight title?

E.M: โ€œThatโ€™s my whole goal, yes. Iโ€™ve shown my Mexican heart. I started [my pro career] with a loss, Iโ€™ve been stopped, and Iโ€™ve come back. A lot of people would have given up. Iโ€™ll keep proving myself again and again and Iโ€™ll keep on pressing forward. Nobody can ever count me out of any fight.โ€

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