JT Mendez Interview Dated August 2005 HBS - What about the actual physical combat aspect of it in the ring? JT - I just go with it calm and relaxed. I get nervous but as soon as the bell rings I'm calm and relaxed like I'm in the gym, just working out, just take it as a learning experience and get in there and do what I do. HBS - Any pro fighters you look up to? JT - I like Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Roy Jones Junior when he boxed. HBS - Tell us a little about how you developed your style. It seems kind of awkward but you've got really great hand speed and real superior ring generalship. I understand you spent most of your amateur career at the Savannah Boxing Club. JT - When I first came into boxing it was just basic punches, one-two, moving, and as the years went on I started developing, moving around the ring and started throwing punches from different angles. I think that's what makes me so good. The angles I punch off of, and the feet movement I have and the hand speed and my power has a lot to do with it too. I don't use my power a lot. I'm not trying to go out there and knock somebody out but if it happens it happens. But my speed makes up for my powerand I just go out there and try to box them. Yeah I've been as Savannah's since I started. HBS - Those angles again seems like it might like confuse a lot of people, plus your confidence might be intimidating. JT - Yeah I have a lot of confidence. I have 141 fights, only 7 losses. But I'm not saying I couldn't be beat. Every fight I go in with the same mentality looking at the dude as he's just another fighter. I can be beat just as well as him. So I just go in there and try to do the best I can. Yeah those angles it benefits me a lot because when I'm pushing off of different angles the guy's still there you know. Some guys react slower than me so I get off quicker than them. HBS - I've only seen you fight the one time against the guy from Ray's Gym, (Gregorio Ibarra), I guess they call him "Tin Tin". You knocked him down twice but he still gave you a pretty good run for your money. JT - Yeah it was a pretty good fight. I heard about him a lot. He's an alright fighter. He's good I guess. It was a good fight. I thought they were going ot stop the fight in the first round so I went out there and tried to kill the dude. But after the second or third round I kind of gave up shots to him and I let him hit me a couple of times. It didn't affect me but I still gave up the shots when I shouldn't have. So I'm going to fight him again probably early September. I'm looking forward to fighting him again because I know there's still doubts in his mind that he could still beat me so as long as there's still doubts in his mind it's a match to be made. I want everybody to know that they can't beat me so as long as I go in and do my best I should be able to win the fight again. HBS - It almost seemed like there was something between you two guys, almost seemed like there was something a little personal there after the fight. What's going on there? JT - Yeah I know who he is. I talked to him a couple of times. It was kind of crazy because just everybody built up the hype for the fight, making the fight bigger than what it is. So there was a little animosity in the fight but I tried to show him ring generalship and he was like he wanted to be bold and stuff so that's when it got a little personal. HBS - You're 16 now and pretty soon you move into the open division. It's going to be a whole new ballgame. Then you'll be kind of at the bottom of the ladder again, fighting against full-grown men and guys that have a lot of fights. How ready do you think you are? JT - I'm looking forward to going into the Men's Open Division, 17-34. Yeah they are grown men. A lot open fighters they take their time. They're real relaxed in the ring and I think I'm going to develop that as soon as I get into it. But I'm ready. I'll probably turn Open at the end of December in the U.S Championships. If not I'll turn Open in the Golden Gloves in January, early February. I'm looking forward to it. I think I've got enough experience and ability to go out there hopefully win the tournament and be ranked number one. Yeah it's a whole new ballgame. But I'm looking forward to climbing up on the ladder and climbing all the way to the top and being ranked number one. HBS - Guys hit a lot harder. JT - Yeah they hit a lot harder. I kind of drop my hands a little bit more than what I'm supposed to so as I'm going into the Open Division I'm going to learn to pick my hands up and box with my hands up and still be able to give them the movement and speed that I've been doing for the rest of my fights. I'm not going to change anything about my style besides sticking my hands up. Yeah they hit a little harder because they're grown men so I'm going to try and stay away from their punches because the can't hit what they can't touch. So I'm just going to go out there and use the best of my ability and win the fights as quickly as I can to be ranked number one. HBS - Thoughts on a pro career? JT - Yeah I want to have a pro career. I want to be champion but I'm not going to rush it. I'm going to let it come to me because I don't want to rush a pro career and it falls down the drain. I"m going to go to the Olympics but you know if a promoter grabs me aside, and they want to sign me, pro boxing's a business. If everything's right then I'll turn pro before the Olympics but until then I'm going to go to the Olympics and hopefully I can win the gold and turn pro after that.