Edouard: My Goal is to bash Skulls!

April 20, 2009 - PRLog -- It wasn’t too long ago that Daniel “The Haitian Sensation” Edouard (21-2-2 with 12 KOs ranked WBA #9, WBC #15) was considered the first real middleweight test for Jermain Taylor. Needless to say he didn’t fare well against Taylor losing via the TKO by third round referee stoppage. Some believed it was premature others felt the stop was timely. The bottom line is Edouard lost. Whether it was nerves, atmosphere or that he just got out-boxed, the one thing you can’t deny is that his fight style is pleasing to fight fans.

Edouard is not a safety first fighter. There is no greater evidence of this than his 2004 fight of the year candidate brawl with then undefeated Willie Gibbs. If you haven’t seen this bout find it and check it out. It is typically featured on ESPN2 Classics. It was a toe to toe swing for the fences brawl that ended with Gibbs face down on the mat, Edouard in tears as his hand was raised in victory and the crowd up in cheers at the spectacle of a boxing match that they had just witnessed.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Edouard a six pack of questions concerning his future in boxing.

JR: Hey champ how is life going and what is next for you?

Edouard: Everything is going great! Still boxing. Still working on the foundation. Winning produces results and I have positioned myself on the edge of contention and hope that continued success will force a few guys’ hands. After all, fighters can’t defend their titles against themselves, though some have tried (laughing). My next fight is scheduled for June 12th at Spirit Mountain Casino at Grand Ronde, Oregon. I'm really excited about this fight because I've always wanted to visit Oregon.

JR: I know of much of the foundation’s work but to be specific with this short interview who would you like to bump heads with right now?

Edouard: The ultimate list would be of course Sturm, Abraham or Pavlik. Every middleweight wants to fight that trio because they are the recognized champs. Sturm has been sitting all nice in Europe doing his thing but it’s about time for him to really defend his title. Nothing against Koji Sato but that fight doesn’t seem like a legitimate title defense. Wouldn’t mind mixing it up with Spinks, Geale, Andy Kolle or Kreshnik Qato as well. All of those would be highly competitive and entertaining fights. At least 3 or 4 star bouts on boxrec (laughing).

JR: Okay. Side-stepping the wish list who do you think you could make a fight with in the next 60 days from your third list?

Edouard: Okay. Andy sent Bonsante into retirement in March with a third round TKO so he is ready but doesn’t have an opponent. Francisco is scheduled to take on Noe Gonzalez at the end of this month so that might not work. I think, not sure though, that Ian Gardner is taking on a Canadian fighter in May so that wouldn’t work. Uh who else did I say? Oh, Kreshnik Qato. I know he just won back in March so that fight could happen. I’ll even go to the UK to fight him. But ultimately I really want to fight Sturm. If he calls tomorrow and says that his opponent Koji Sato can’t fight Saturday I’ll be on the red eye (laughing)!

JR: But champ you were offered a fight with Alfredo Angulo back in February as a replacement for Ricardo Mayorga. I have foreknowledge that you were Ricardo’s main sparring partner in preparation for that fight. If you’ll take the Sturm fight last minute why didn’t you take the Angulo fight?

Edouard: There were several reasons I didn’t take that fight. I feel that I can mix it up with Angulo but my weight was an issue. I was about 170 pounds which is comfortable to quickly cut down to 160 but they wanted me to get down to 154 in five or six days. I would have had to focus solely on cutting weight by not eating and exercising strenuously not training. That is called losing the fight before you get in the ring. If I did it and lost that fight no one would care that I cut 15-20 pounds in 5 days. All they would remember is that I didn’t win and I would be forced to start all over again. So I elected to not take the fight. That decision upset some people but I feel it was best.

JR: Okay, but Angulo’s name isn’t listed on the fights you prefer. Are you sure you would fight him?

Edouard: Absolutely but Angulo isn’t the champion! I’ve worked hard and earned my #9 WBA ranking. I fear no man in the ring. When I fight I give it everything I’ve got. I’m not just saying that! I mean that. My goal is to bash my opponent’s skull in, destroy his body, mangle his heart, out box and out work him and win by whatever means necessary!

JR: Anything in closing?

Edouard: I was supposed to defend my WBA Fedelatin title in Panama but promotionally it didn’t work out so I’m very excited to be fighting in Oregon for my next bout. Maybe I should send Champion Sturm an email since he’s having difficulties finding opponents (laughing). In closing, “Your only one decision from either victory or defeat choose wisely. Peace and love.”

Josh Ringle is a contributing writer for the County Gazette.

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