by Jason Herron
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Griffin, (46-6, 30 KO's), will be the toughest test for the rising star. The "Ice Man" has won two straight since his loss to The Ring champion, Antonio Tarver. Hoye, (17-0, 14 KO's), is coming off a devastating fourth round knockout of fellow contender, Richard Hall. This fight will an interesting clash of styles. Griffin will need to confuse Hoye to offset his power advantage. This fight is a classic toss-up.
Hoye took some time to speak to TalkingBoxing.com about his upcoming showdown and what lies ahead in the light heavyweight division.
RICO HOYE
Jason Herron: Rico, I know you're currently in deep training for this upcoming fight with Montell Griffin. How do you prepare for someone with such an awkward style?
Rico Hoye: I don't change anything for any of my opponents. I'm going to utilize my strengths and go after his weaknesses. He's a short fighter, so I'm going to use my reach to my advantage.
Jason Herron: Griffin has four losses, but.......it's to Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver, Eric Harding, and Dariusz Michalczewski: a who's who of the light heavyweight division. Do you think his experience might give you some trouble?
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Rico Hoye: No, not necessarily. I'm ready for anyone or anything.
Jason Herron: Your last two fights didn't even last five rounds.....combined. Are you looking to get some rounds in or are you going to try to knock him out early, like your other opponents this year?
Rico Hoye: I never look for the KO. I try to do the job with my jab. The Richard Hall fight lasted four rounds. He came to me and I knocked him out. I'm a counter puncher. If the knockout comes cool, but I train to go the distance. If I knock him out, it's icing on the cake.
Jason Herron: This fight is in your home state of Michigan. With some of the problems the Michigan State Athletic Commission has had, most recently with the horrific judging during the Courtney Burton-Emmanuel Augustus fight, do you think it will be a fair fight?
Rico Hoye: I believe so. I don't go in looking for a knockout, but I do want to take it out of the judges' hands. That Burton-Augustus fight was awful. The referee did a horrible job. But, the Michigan Athletic Commission usually does a decent job, and this fight will be no different.
Jason Herron: A win would give you a shot at the IBF belt currently held by Glen Johnson, BUT, he has a fight nine days after yours with someone named Roy Jones, Jr. What are you looking for in that fight? I assume you will be rooting for Jones and the big payday that comes with fighting him?
Rico Hoye: The money for a Jones fight would be nice. Johnson's a good fighter. If you remember, Bernard Hopkins is the only fighter to beat him up. It's going to be a tough fight. Without a doubt, I'm rooting for the money and Roy Jones.
Jason Herron: What were you thinking when you saw Antonio Tarver knock Jones out?
Rico Hoye: I was there. I fought on the under card. Me, personally, I thought Tarver had the chance to knock him out in the first fight. I thought he could knock him out, but not in the second round, That was really shocking!
Jason Herron: Tarver is the man at the top of the 175 pound division. He wears the Ring Magazine championship belt. Do you think the Ring Magazine title has surpassed the alphabet belts, or do you think the WBC's of the world still rule?
Rico Hoye: Me, personally, the Ring championship is THE belt, because it proves you are the best. All fighters want the Ring Magazine title to show that they are the best in the world. I want to win the Ring Magazine belt the most, but I also want the alphabet belts, too. Besides, Ring Magazine isn't taking my money from me.
Jason Herron: If you had your choice, would you rather face Tarver or Jones?
Rico Hoye: Honestly, if you forget about the money, I want to fight Tarver, because he's the best at 175. I want to be the best, so I want to fight the best light heavyweight in the world. If you're talking money, well, Roy has been the dominant fighter for the past decade. The money is with Roy and I want some of that HBO money.
Jason Herron: Thanks for taking time out of training to speak with TalkingBoxing.com and good luck on the 16th.
Rico Hoye: Anytime, Jason. Thanks for having me.
The Rico Hoye-Montell Griffin fight can be seen this Thursday night, September 16th on Showtime.
On a side note, if most fighters and fans recognize the Ring Magazine champion as the best in the world, why won't HBO or Showtime? Just a thought.
Jason Herron can be reached at: jasondfd@hotmail.com.
